


Wake Me When It's Over

by Ekokai



Category: The Pretender
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-04
Updated: 2014-10-04
Packaged: 2018-02-19 21:01:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 29,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2402744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ekokai/pseuds/Ekokai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sydney finds himself in the unusual position of helping Jarod escape after one of his pretends goes horribly wrong. With help from Miss Parker and Broots, they recover the Pretender's body, but can they recover his mind?  Oh, and there are handcuffs and a wet, soapy, naked Pretender.  Several times. Do I have your attention now?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wake Me When It's Over

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The Pretender and its characters are the property of NBC and MTM. We just borrowed them for a while. No copyright infringement is intended and they were all washed and returned unharmed when we were done playing with them. Jarod was a little worn out, but what did you expect?
> 
> Co-Authored 9/25/97 by Djinn
> 
> Editing note: I had massive problems getting this to post without formatting errors, and finally gave up. This is as good as it's going to get.

They had waited until he was the most vulnerable - literally. Jarod had realized early on that with the freedom to eat Oreo and Pez came the responsibility to exercise in order to keep body and mind in the peak condition that his self-imposed missions demanded.

He had his head under the water, rinsing away the shampoo, and simultaneously soaping his body, when the door to the gym shower room opened and three men in white uniforms walked in. Squinting through the spray, Jarod recognized his temporary  
boss. 

"Hello. I didn't know you used the gym." Keeping his tone neutral, Jarod noted that their clothing and body language signified a purpose that had them ready for physical  
confrontation - with him? How could he possibly have tipped his hand so early?

"Cut the crap, Young. Get dressed. You have a doctor's appointment." Kline ground out the words, eyeing Jarod speculatively. There was no way the younger man could be  
hiding a weapon, but he looked to be in pretty good shape, and like many bullies, Kline relished inflicting pain, but shrank from receiving it.

One of the men snickered appreciatively. 

"He's not going to be any troub--" his words were cut off when Jarod's accurately thrown bar of soap hit him in the face. 

A split second later, Kline was bent over with the pain of a kick in the abdomen and Jarod was grappling with the second man, fighting his way to the door and to freedom.

Sliding into the hallway on soapy feet, Jarod heard the grunts of pain and the curses signifying his pursuers. Reacting to the danger, he flung open a door and ran into a room. Two women screamed. Another scurried out of his way, hiding her bare chest with a towel. Five others stood and stared. 

"Excuse me. . ." Even Jarod's quick mind was at a loss to explain his nakedness and presence in the women's locker room.

He was looking for another exit when he heard one woman remark to another, "Is he the one you were talking about, Roberta?"

Jarod turned for a split second to see who had been talking about him when the three men charged in and tackled him. A new chorus of screams went up as the women began expressing their outrage at this further intrusion.

Kline backed off from his men, who were having a difficult time holding onto the wet, soapy, and naked man, and pulled a syringe from his pocket. Flicking off the cap he quickly tapped out any air bubbles then rushed back to the fray. He dodged  
flailing arms and legs, jockeying for a position and plunged the needle into Jarod's bare buttock as soon as it was available in the melee.

Jarod felt the men give him a few more solid hits as he sank into unconsciousness. He was vaguely aware of Kline telling the women not to worry, that the lunatic was being restrained, then everything went black.

3 weeks later  
Sydney looked up at the tall, iron gates that blocked the entrance to Stanhope Psychiatric Hospital and wondered, for the hundredth time, what he expected to find here. The e-mail message he had received a week ago had been cryptic at best.

Sydney,  
Your services as a doctor are urgently needed. Tell no one.  
Details to follow.  
Jarod

A few hours later another message had revealed the hospital and location along with another warning for secrecy. It hadn't taken Sydney long to follow the procedure that Jarod had learned so well. He had researched the hospital, created a new identity for himself and applied for a job. His credentials had assured him of the position without having a formal interview and now here he was, reporting for work on his first day as Doctor  
Sydney James. 

A guard appeared and swung the gates open then gestured for Sydney to pull up. After checking ID, Syd was instructed to report to the main office where the chief administrator was waiting for him.

The hospital was enormous. The architecture dated the building back to the 1930's but meticulous upkeep of the structure and surrounding grounds made it appear fairly new.

Sydney pulled to a stop in the gravel parking lot and quickly made his way up the stone steps to the main doors.

The lobby was large and airy. Wood floors and light paneling on the walls gave visitors the impression of peace and comfort. Sydney knew that this was often a false impression of the rest of the facility. Lull the family into believing their loved one was going to be in a homey setting and never let them know what really goes on in the rest of the building.

"Doctor James?" called a voice from across the room.

Sydney turned and watched a large, balding man approach, hand outstretched.

"Mr. Kline?" Sydney guessed, shaking hands with the man that had hired him, sight unseen. Sydney released the man's hand and fought the urge to wipe his own on his pants. He wasn't sure why, but he instinctively knew this man was dangerous. What could Jarod have been doing here?

"I must say I was surprised that a doctor of your training and background would want to work in someplace as out of the way as Stanhope," Kline remarked as he led the way to his office. "We have an excellent facility, don't get me wrong, but we usually have to fight to get anyone to even consider coming here."

Sydney was politely nodding his head in agreement, only half listening as the man continued to drone on and on about the quality of care patients received here. The ease with which Sydney had acquired the job gave him all the information he needed about the 'quality of care' here.

They reached Kline's office and he offered Sydney a seat in an overstuffed leather chair.

'Well, there was certainly no expense spared for the hospital administrator,' Sydney thought as his eyes roamed around the richly appointed room.

"So," Kline began, sitting behind his huge, antique desk. "I know all about you from the papers you sent ahead. Perhaps you'd like to know more about us and what your job will entail?"

"Yes," Sydney agreed, forcing a polite smile. "I want to know everything."

"Well, we currently have forty-four patients and four," he looked at Sydney apologetically, "I mean five staff doctors. I know that ratio is below the norm but I hope to have three more doctors on staff by the end of the month."

Sydney wondered briefly if Jarod had sent him here just to help out until the other doctors arrived, but dismissed the idea as soon as it occurred to him. Jarod was as capable of filling this role as he was any other.

 

"It sounds as though I will be quite busy," Sydney remarked. "I'd like to get started right away, take a tour of the hospital, and meet the staff and patients."

"Of course you would. I'll take you on the tour myself," Kline offered and Sydney almost groaned aloud. He had no desire to listen to this man any longer than necessary.

Kline rose to his feet and Sydney followed him from the office and back through the lobby to a set of locked, steel doors. As they closed behind the two men, Kline launched in to his well rehearsed speech about the history and philosophies of the hospital and Sydney switched his brain to auto-pilot to stave off being bored to death.

 

Cavalry Hotel  
Wildwood, Montana  
Sydney closed the door to his hotel room and leaned back against it, totally exhausted. Kline had dragged him around the hospital for five hours and managed to show him everything except the patients. Sydney now suspected that the doctor he replaced had not quit, he was just bored into a stupor by Kline and assimilated into the patient population.

Sydney gathered the strength to grab a quick shower before pulling out his notebook and reviewing the day’s events. As he sat, pen in hand, only one thought came to him. It was the same one he'd had since he met a very nice nurse named Claire Connor.

Sydney had managed to get away from Kline for a moment and casually asked her if there was a doctor on staff fitting Jarod's description. She was quick to lament on the lack of good looking, young doctors in a psych hospital then remarked that the only man she had seen lately, matching Sydney's requirements, was a patient. As a matter of fact, she told him, this particular patient had been the talk of the female nurses for  
the last three weeks.

Sydney rubbed his eyes and decided to sleep on it and let his mind work through the information he had received. He hoped that by morning he would come up with an idea that did not involve his Pretender being under psychiatric care.

 

Stanhope Hospital  
West Wing, 3 PM  
By the next day, Sydney was determined to see every patient in the hospital whether Kline wanted him to or not. As luck would have it, he ran into the senior staff doctor in the parking lot and managed to wrangle a more detailed tour out of him that afternoon.

Doctor David Porter led Sydney down the long hallway, discussing various patients as they walked. They stopped in front of a large, Plexiglas window offering an unobstructed view of the recreation room. There were about 40 men and women watching TV, playing cards or simply staring into space.

"The patients are allowed out of their rooms for six hours a day and they spend that time in here or outside, weather permitting," Porter explained, gesturing out the reinforced windows at the rain.

Sydney was scanning the room, looking for Jarod, and was relieved not to see him.

"Is this everyone?" he asked, already planning his trip home.

"Everyone?"

"Yes, all the patients. Do they all come out at the same time?"

"Yes. We clean the rooms while they're out of them. Some tend to get upset when our staff touches their belongings. Every patient is in here. Well, except the dangerous ones, of course."

"Dangerous?" Sydney tried not to seem too interested.

"We have four residents that just can't seem to adjust to life here. They are restricted to the soft rooms and two of them are sedated as well."

"Can I see these patients?" Sydney asked casually, his mind reeling before the image of Jarod being in a padded cell, sedated.

Porter, unlike Kline, seemed to have no problem with Sydney seeing the entire facility and led the way to the elevator. On the way down, Porter filled Sydney in on the drug treatments they had been trying while Sydney silently analyzed both the possible side effects and length of time the drugs would affect a patient.

The elevator opened into a hall headed up by a guard sleeping at his desk. Porter coughed and the man jerked awake, turning red with embarrassment. The guard cleared his throat, and used officiousness to cover himself. "I can't just give you the keys, Doctor. You have to sign for them."

Porter snapped his fingers impatiently. "Keys!"

Reluctantly the guard began to hand over a large key ring. At Porter's look of contempt, he fumbled with the keys, isolating one from the other. Porter snatched the key ring from his hand. Turning his back to the guard, he spoke to Sydney as if the man didn't exist, explaining the uselessness of some of the security procedures.

Sydney saw the resentful anger on the guard's face, taking note of the weakness in the system as a matter of course. Was this how Jarod did it, he wondered, remembering all the small details of human interaction, and synthesizing the information in order to pass as anyone he chose?

The first room Porter opened held an older man that was sleeping on a pallet in the corner. "He'll probably be released upstairs in a day or so. We haven't had any trouble from him since Tuesday."

"What's his problem?"

Porter shook his head and chuckled. "Every few months the aliens come after him and he checks himself in here. We keep him a few weeks, give him every test, which he passes, and then we release him until his next close encounter." Porter told him, closing the door. "However, when he checked in last week he became violent when his regular room was occupied and he bit one of the doctors. Any act of violence is an automatic five days in isolation.”

"Interesting," Sydney lied, walking down the hall. He was impatient to see the others.

At the next room, Porter wouldn't open the door which made Sydney suspicious until he heard the snarling and growling from inside. God, please don’t let that be Jarod, Sydney  
prayed, struggling to keep an expression of polite interest on his face.

"Now this one," Porter began, opening the third door part way then stopping. "This is interesting. There's a mystery here because he seems not to have an admitting physician. Admissions claims he was sent from another facility, and that the paperwork has somehow gone missing, but there’s a rumor that he was working here in accounting before he became ill. He does show definite signs of paranoia, which may be indications  
of a much larger problem.”

Sydney was getting ready to push the man out of his way when he finally opened the door all the way. As they walked in, the smell of unwashed human sweat mingled with fear hit Sydney like a blow. His stomach took a sickening plunge. He forced the scientist in him to take control, stifling his dread.

Syd felt the padded floor give way under his feet. It was a small room, maybe ten by ten with no furnishings at all, just the padding continuing up the wall like a pale, gray fungus. In the corner, sitting on the floor with his back to the wall and his knees drawn up to his chest, was Jarod, his face pressed sideways into the plastic, his jaw clenched.

 

“My God,” Syd breathed. He reached for Jarod and was rewarded by an instinctive flinch as Jarod curled tighter into himself, almost fetal. Sydney let his hand fall.

"Why is he in a straitjacket?" His harshness obviously startled Porter.

"He's quite dangerous. Almost every time we take it off he starts a fight. The drugs alone aren't enough to keep him calmed down."

Sydney remembered the drugs Porter had mentioned and grimaced involuntarily. If they had given these to Jarod, it was no wonder his emotional state was precarious. His eyes were open, but the lack of expression was frightening. Never had Sydney seen Jarod less than passionately involved in his surroundings. He stepped closer to Jarod and Porter grabbed his arm.

Sydney fought the urge to shake this man away from him. “It’s okay. I'm quite familiar with this condition.” The lie tasted bitter.

He knelt down in front of Jarod and looked at him closely. His eyes were unfocused, he hadn't shaved in at least three days and he had the remains of black eye that looked to be about a week old. "Whose patient is he?"

"Well, since we're short staffed I haven't officially assigned him to anyone yet. We've just been keeping him calm and waiting for some time to work with him. Why? You want him?" Porter asked jokingly. He was becoming uneasy with this new doctor’s behavior.

Sydney controlled the urge to strike the man. He stood and looked at him then back at Jarod. "So he hasn't had any sessions with a doctor yet?" Sydney asked, managing to keep his tone neutral.

"Two," Porter answered, "and they were both nightmares. He insisted he was being held prisoner by Mr. Kline and when I tried to explain to him that he was ill he became violent. That's one reason I hesitated assigning him to one of the other doctors. However, if you've had experience with this type of behavior there's no reason you shouldn't have the joys of trying to get through to him. I wasn't looking forward to a wrestling match before every session."

“I have found such cases interesting in the past.” Sydney forced himself to smile reassuringly at the man. “I wouldn’t mind getting my feet wet with this one, as they say.”

Porter thought of his workload, of this particular patient’s occasional belligerence. “If this is the kind of thing you are used to. . .”

Sydney nodded, trying not to look at Jarod, the bruise, the straitjacket. "I'd like to start with this one right away," Sydney declared, hoping that didn't sound too suspicious. He tried to add a little levity to the situation. "If he wants Mr. Kline arrested for kidnapping, I'll try to talk him out of it."

"I don't think that will be a problem you'll face any time soon, doctor," Porter warned him. "Your new patient hasn't said a word in almost three weeks."

When Sydney didn’t reply, he grimaced. “I’ll leave you to it, then. The guard is always within shouting distance, if you can wake him, and there is an emergency call here by  
the door. Oh, and by the way, his name is Jarod.”

Porter left hurriedly before the new sucker..uh, doctor could change his mind. Sydney listened to the footsteps echoing down the hall to make sure he was well away  
before kneeling down next to Jarod. "Let's get rid of this to start with then we'll see about getting you out of here," Sydney told him. 

Jarod was leaning back on the buckles and as Sydney reached for them Jarod quickly scooted into the corner and rested his forehead on his bent knees. Sydney pulled his  
hand back and frowned. Even with the drugs, Jarod should have no problem recognizing him. Was there something else wrong here?

Sydney was still staring at Jarod when the door opened and two male nurses entered.

"Sorry, Doc, didn't know you were in here." The lie was obvious.

Sydney recognized the man speaking as someone he'd met on his tour with Kline. The man's interruption was what allowed Sydney to get in a few words with Nurse Connor. 

"No problem. Just trying to get acquainted with my new patient," Sydney told him as he stood up.

"First day and they stick you with him? Who'd you piss off?" the second man asked half seriously.

Sydney looked down at Jarod then back at the men. "He seems calm to me."

Willis smiled indulgently. "Uh-huh. Well, it’s bath time for our buddy here."

Willis and Tyler stepped closer to Jarod and as they did, he again tried to burrow deeper into the corner. The men reached out and each took a side of the straight jacket and pulled Jarod to his feet where he stood quietly with his head down.

Sydney gazed at him speculatively. Could he be pretending? "Well?"

"Hang on Doc, this is going to get interesting," Willis said. He turned Jarod around and unbuckled the jacket and pulled it off. Jarod rubbed his arms, keeping his eyes  
trained on the floor. 

Tyler took Jarod by the arm and Sydney followed them out the door and down the hall to a large bathroom. Once inside, Willis locked the door as Tyler stood Jarod in front  
of a urinal then went to turn on the shower. As the water warmed up he returned to Jarod who had finished up and was staring blankly at himself in the mirror, pants still  
undone.

"Come on over here, buddy," Tyler instructed him, taking hold of his arm again and gently guiding Jarod toward the shower.

Willis joined them and helped his partner undress their patient. As Willis pulled Jarod's shirt off over his head, Sydney stepped forward for a closer look.

"What is this?" he demanded to know, fingering several large bruises on Jarod's side and back.

Willis shrugged his shoulders. "He's a fighter, Doc. Sometimes it can't be helped."

"You keep saying that, however he has yet to be anything but docile."

The two men gave each other knowing looks and Willis replied to Sydney while removing Jarod's pants. "Just wait."

They put Jarod in the shower where he stood, staring blankly. Tyler stepped closer to him and briskly soaped and scrubbed him, then left him standing under the water. After a few minutes, Tyler turned off the water and dried him off. As Willis helped Jarod dress in clean clothes, Tyler noticed the expression on Sydney's face and provided an answer for the unasked question.

"He likes to be clean so he doesn’t fight this part,” Tyler explained. "He'll also eat on his own if you get the first bite into him. Actually," he continued, watching Jarod, "he'll do just about anything you want if you can just get the idea across to him. He would have washed himself eventually, but we don't want him waterlogged." Tyler laughed at his own joke.

Sydney nodded his head to show he was listening but his attention was still riveted to Jarod. He had noted the loss of weight and additional bruises in various stages of healing on Jarod's upper arms, around his wrists and ankles. He had been restrained in other ways than the jacket.

Jarod again caught sight of himself in the mirror, and touched his face with tentative fingers.

"I think he finally got tired of the beard, Willis. Maybe he'll let you shave him today."

Willis stepped into Jarod's line of sight.

"Is that right?" he asked hopefully. "Do you want a shave?"

For the first time, Sydney saw some comprehension in Jarod's eyes as he nodded his head.

"Finally," Willis sighed. He opened a cabinet and pulled out an electric razor and plugged it in. Before he could do anything else, Jarod took it from him and began shaving himself.

"Well, today is just getting more interesting by the moment. Maybe you're a good luck charm, Doc," Willis said with a smile. He turned to Tyler.

"Think our luck will hold?"

"I wish." He raised his voice and directed it at Jarod. "Maybe he remembers that he gets to go back upstairs tomorrow if he behaves himself," Tyler offered as an  
explanation for the easy day they were having.

Sydney was still confused over their determination that Jarod was going to be a problem. He watched as his pretender finished, unplugged the shaver and put it away  
then turned back toward his audience.

Sydney was never quite certain what happened next. Willis reached out to take Jarod's arm and was suddenly airborne as Jarod nailed him in the jaw with a wicked right hook.  
Tyler was on Jarod in a second, pinning his arms to his sides as Sydney helped Willis to his feet.

"See what I mean?" he asked, rubbing his jaw. He opened another cabinet and pulled out a restraint belt. When Jarod saw it he started to struggle and Willis tossed it to Sydney as he went to help Tyler.

"We'll hold him, you put it on, Doc," Willis instructed Sydney.

He looked at the restraint in his hand then at Jarod who was fighting to dislodge his two captors. Sydney wanted to refuse, but how would that look? He couldn't help Jarod  
if he got himself thrown out of the hospital.

Telling himself it was the best thing to do at the moment, Sydney quickly secured the belt around Jarod's waist then forced his hands down, securing his wrists in the padded cuffs attached to the front of the belt. As he worked, Sydney tried not to look into Jarod’s eyes. He was suddenly afraid to know if Jarod was aware who was doing this to him.

Once his arms were pinned down, Jarod continued to fight using his legs as he was pulled to his feet. One kick landed solidly near Tyler's crotch and he dropped to the floor in pain. Willis watched his friend fall and instinctively kicked at Jarod from behind, sweeping his legs out from under him. As he landed hard on his back, Jarod's head hit the cement floor and he stopped moving.

Sydney dropped to his knees beside Jarod, certain he was going to find him unconscious, but this time, he really was pretending. As soon as Sydney was within reach, Jarod grabbed him with his legs in a scissor-hold and started to squeeze.

Sydney felt his ribs on the verge of cracking before Willis managed to get him free. Jarod was still on his back when Willis grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him part way up. He drew back his hand and lightly slapped Jarod across the face.

Sydney opened his mouth to yell and was stopped when Tyler laid his hand on Syd's arm. "Wait," he said quietly, watching Willis and Jarod.

Jarod had stopped fighting immediately and was looking at Willis with a slightly confused expression.

"Are you finished?" Willis asked, pulling Jarod into a sitting position.

Jarod nodded his head once and appeared to be on the verge of tears. Willis sat on the floor next to him and draped his arm across Jarod's shoulders. "It's okay, you didn't hurt anyone too bad. Nobody is going to find out. We won't tell," he promised, looking up at Syd and Tyler. "Will we?"

Tyler grimaced as he rubbed the tender area where he'd been kicked, but shook his head.

Jarod looked up and Sydney nearly lost it. He knew that expression from Jarod’s childhood, when he had called for refuge.

"No, "Sydney agreed, putting every nuance of soothing comfort in his voice that he possessed. “We won't tell anyone."

They pulled Jarod to his feet and Sydney followed them from the room, stopping when they turned left instead of right.

"Where are you going?" Syd asked as the trio continued down the long hall.

Willis looked back and gave Sydney an odd look. "I don't know about where you come from, but here, our patients sleep in beds. The cell is just a change of scenery while the rooms are cleaned each day."

Sydney realized he must have sounded like an idiot, but he had never considered that the room he had found Jarod in was temporary.

Sydney caught up to them as they came to the last room at the end of the hall. As he was about to enter he stopped dead in his tracks, barely keeping the look of shock from his face. Except for the cheery yellow walls, the room looked exactly like the one Jarod had been kept in during his early years at the Centre.

 

Jarod had been quiescent between the two nurses, but as he entered the room he made a low moaning sound, almost like a wounded animal. He began to shiver violently.

"It's all right, Jarod. . ." Sydney began reassuringly, but the sound of his voice, coupled with the sight of the room, caused Jarod to twist away. Instead of running, though, he  
dropped to the floor and curled into a ball.

"Don't worry, Doc, he does this a lot." Willis nodded to Tyler, and together they grabbed Jarod's upper arms, and hauled him to the bed. "He'll come out of it in an hour or  
so."

"He always has this reaction?" Syd fought to keep the pain from his voice.

Upon hearing Sydney, Jarod increased the volume of his moans, almost as if he was trying to drown out the sound of Syd's voice.

"Not this bad, not since that last Doc was here."

"Last Doc? Who was this?"

"You know, the one who prescribed the meds. Uh, what was his name?" he asked Tyler who shrugged in response.

"What did he look like?"

Sydney recognized the "doctor" from their description. My God, he thought. What is going on here? How did Raines find Jarod? And why hadn’t he told anyone?

 

Willis reached out and grabbed Sydney's arm as the older man paled.

Sydney was vaguely aware of being asked a question but his mind was racing. He had planned on finding Jarod and having the Centre 'remove' him, but now...how could he?

 

"Doc?" Willis called again, looking back at Tyler. Sydney blinked and shifted into his role with the ease of one of his Pretenders.

"I'm going to stop all the medication ordered by the previous doctor," Sydney began. He looked at Jarod who was becoming more agitated by the second.

"Get the belt off of him right now, please."

Tyler and Willis glanced at each other, communicating with looks. Sydney watched as they apparently agreed to go along with the crazy new doctor, but Syd was certain he  
was going to be getting a call from Porter in the morning, if not sooner.

Tyler leaned over the bed and unbuckled the restraint, all the while keeping his eyes on Jarod's legs. He wasn't about to be on the receiving end of any more kicks today.

 

Jarod wasn't fighting this time, though. As soon as the belt was removed, he curled immediately into a fetal position, whimpering softly, his hands covering his ears.

Sydney closed his eyes briefly as he made his decision. Any short-term pain he had to cause Jarod was now being justified in his mind, as it always was. He pulled the Script pad that he had been given from his pocket and quickly wrote out an order for a strong sedative. He tore it off and handed it to Tyler.

"Take this up to the pharmacy and get back down here as fast as you can," he ordered. The sudden authority in his voice startled both men and Tyler took the paper and fled  
the room without a second thought.

Sydney struggled to regard Jarod as a patient, and not as the surrogate son that he had felt him to be all these years. It caused the older man a physical pain to see Jarod like this. 

 

Now Sydney could see that Jarod couldn't possibly have sent that e-mail. Who did? He felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead as Jarod curled into himself almost painfully  
tight. To see Jarod in this condition was beyond his ability to consider with his usual, dispassionate objectivity.

For the second time that day, he stretched his hand toward Jarod, reaching as much for his own comfort as for Jarod's. Before he touched the shivering, crying man, he faltered.  
He needed to think, to plan. Now above all, every step must be carefully considered. 

Sydney had tried not to notice them earlier, but the restraints on the bed were calling to him now.

Sydney watched as Willis sat on the bed next to Jarod to wait for his friend's return. Willis automatically reached out and started rubbing Jarod's back in an attempt to calm him. Sydney had expected Jarod to shy away at the touch, but instead he moved slightly toward it.

 

Sydney watched jealously as Jarod sought out the comfort of a stranger when he had already refused Sydney's touch several times. Willis saw Sydney watching him and smiled.

"It's the only thing that seems to work," he explained. Sydney smiled briefly, ashamed he had just been angry at this man who was helping Jarod.

 

He is regressing to childhood, to the memory of his parents, Sydney told himself. His real parents - not Sydney. No matter how the doctor thought of himself, deep down he knew that Jarod would always reject this concept.

"Do you normally restrain him now?" Syd pitched his voice low, so as not to disturb Jarod's fragile calm.

"Nooo, nooo," Willis soothed Jarod with his tone as he answered. "Once he goes to sleep he's usually okay. The meds tend to keep him quiet all night."

'And all day,' Sydney added mentally. Tyler returned at that moment.

"That was quick."

"One line - no waiting," Tyler grinned. "You want I should go ahead and dose him?"

Sydney nodded in assent and stepped back. He was impressed with the care and gentleness with which the two men gave Jarod the sedative. Of course, he was standing and watching them, but maybe Jarod really was getting good care. Was it possible that the outside world had finally overwhelmed his White Leopard? Was this how Jarod came to be here? 

"My shift starts tomorrow at noon. Will you be on duty then?"

"Nah," Willis said, "But the day shift guys are pretty good." 

Behind Sydney, Tyler started to open his mouth but changed his mind after a quick look from his partner.

Sydney smiled, suddenly feeling his age. He hadn't ever had a real patient. In graduate school, he had chosen behavioral psych to the exclusion of any other. Now he would have to use all the knowledge he had disdained, as well as his personal experiences with Jarod, to bring the younger man back from whatever nightmare gripped him.

"Good night, then." Syd turned and walked wearily from the room into the stark hallway. He would carry the image of Jarod into his dreams.

Tyler waited until he heard Sydney's footsteps fade down the hall before pulling a second syringe from his pocket. He looked at it for a moment then passed it to Willis.

"Do we have to?" he asked, hoping the answer was going to be no.

Willis laughed derisively. "Are you insane? If we screw this up there won't be  
anywhere we can run that they won't find us."

Tyler looked down at Jarod. He was asleep now and the pain and terror had drained from his body leaving him looking like a lost soul instead of the dangerous man they  
had been told he was.

Willis flicked the protective cap from the needle and quickly injected the drugs into Jarod's limp arm. He gazed up at Tyler and tried to give him a reassuring look, but failed miserably.

"He's not what they say," Tyler tried to argue, but Willis was already nodding his head.

"I know," he agreed, watching Jarod sleep. "But someone wants him here and they want him incapacitated so that's how he's gonna stay. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it," Tyler grudgingly agreed. He got it, but he didn't like it. He had something else on his mind now. "Why didn't you let me tell the Doc about the morning guys. He might be thinking these bruises came from us."

Willis looked down and grinned, remembering an encounter he'd had with one of 'those guys' a few days ago after he'd noticed new bruises on several patients.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem anymore," he replied, refusing to elaborate further.

He helped Tyler arrange Jarod in a more comfortable position on the bed then covered him with the blanket. The two men walked to the door and as Willis turned off the light, Tyler grabbed his arm.

"How long before....you know," he asked, gesturing toward Jarod with his head.

"I have no idea. I just hope it's before that new Doc gets too attached to him."

 

With so much on his mind, the trip to the motel after stopping for dinner was almost like sleepwalking. In fact, Sydney wasn't truly aware of his surroundings until he was in his room, undressing for bed. Suddenly, awareness broke over him like a wave and he grabbed the phone, punching Miss Parker's home number. He used the time it took her to answer to compose what he was going to say.

Miss Parker had gone to bed earlier than usual, not spending her usual two hours watching late night talk shows and muttering imprecations at the hosts and guests. Even when she had a date, she chose to sleep alone, sending the man home when she  
was through with him.

The phone woke her, and she grabbed for her cellular with one hand, scrabbling around for her cigarettes with the other.

"Shit." She'd forgotten she was supposed to be quitting. All she could find was that damn gum.

"Miss Parker?"

"What?" She snarled into the phone, unwrapping a stick.

"Sydney. I found Jarod."

"Where?" She wadded the wrapper up and threw it on the floor. "Where is he and where are you?" She walked over to her closet and began jerking clothes from hangars.

"Before I tell you that, I need to warn you about something--someone at the Centre."

 

"Just tell me where you are, damn it." She popped the gum loudly into the receiver, and stepped into a pair of tight black pants.

"It could put you and Broots in danger." Sydney was blunt, trying to impress the urgency upon this singularly obtuse woman.

"Give it up, Syd." She shucked her silk teddy top and slid a cashmere sweater over her head getting it hung on the cellular, and fighting it out of the folds. This small annoyance made her furious and she turned all her vitriol on Sydney. 

 

"Listen to me, quack. Either you tell me where you are and where you've stashed Ratboy, or I'll call Daddy and--"

"Do not call your father, Parker," Sydney cut in forcefully.

"What?" she asked, venom dripping from her voice.

"I said, do not call your father. You have to listen to me now or this will be the last call you ever get."

Miss Parker took a deep breath as she tried to decide if Sydney might really have some useful information or if he was getting as paranoid as the rest of the Centre staff.

"Okay," she temporarily surrendered. "Out with it."

"No, not over this phone," he told her quickly.

Miss Parker clenched her teeth and growled into the phone. "How the hell are you going to tell me if it's not over the phone? Should I be outside looking for smoke signals?"

"I said not over this phone. You need to get to Broots and have him secure your line. I'll call back in the morning and give you the information then."

"Sydney, it's after midnight. This is morning," she told him loudly.

She could almost hear the smile in Sydney's voice. "Not where I am."

"Not a word to anyone," he cautioned her. ”You'd better have Broots send his daughter someplace for a while, too. I'll call you back in six hours."

He heard her start to argue but he was already hanging up. Sydney hoped he was doing the right thing. He could very well be drawing his two friends into a very dangerous situation. If his plan worked, and anyone from the Centre found out Jarod's three stooges were behind it, there would be nowhere to turn.

 

Miss Parker did not quite slam the phone down when she heard the click from Sydney's end, but it was close. 'You bastard,' she thought, 'I got dressed for nothing.'

 

She popped her gum, thinking. It was hard not to see the truth looming in front of her, that her father was not to be trusted by Sydney - or by her. It hurt, but it was a pain she  
had lived with for most of her life. Jarod had brought it into focus after his escape.  
Jarod had made her suspicious of her father. Jarod had led her into questioning her mother's life and death. Jarod, Jarod, Jarod!

 

Unconsciously, her fingernails had dug into her palms. "Rat-bastard!" she swore, examining the damage. She spat her gum into the wastebasket by her desk.

She clenched her jaws. Where was her emergency cigarette stash? Her Jarod stash? That's right, she'd hidden some by her Maalox. She'd go get a nicotine fix, take a swig of Maalox, and pack. Damned if she'd wait six hours for Syd to get his beauty sleep.  
A thoroughly nasty grin curved her generous mouth. Broots. She'd wake him up and set him on finding Sydney. By the time the shrink called, they'd be on the Centre jet  
heading out west where it wasn't after midnight yet. First, though, she'd get that cig.

 

The halls of the hospital were deserted and Tyler didn't encounter a soul as he headed for the elevator. Once inside he jabbed the B button to take him down to isolation. As the doors slid open he sighed in relief when he saw Benny, the guard, asleep as usual. Tyler crept over to the desk and silently picked up the key ring, grasping the individual keys so they wouldn't jingle together. 

As soon as he had them safely in hand, Tyler practically ran down the hall and around the corner. He stopped outside the last door and looked around as he inserted the key in the lock, grimacing as the click seemed to echo through the building.

He closed the door behind him and turned the light on the lowest setting so he could see where he was going. As the darkness was lifted he could see Jarod lying in bed exactly the way they had left him.

Tyler smiled to himself, thinking of the second syringe he had given Willis. His partner thought it was the drug that Kline ordered them to give Jarod, but it wasn't. Willis had  
injected vitamins with that second shot, nothing more. Tyler hoped he did the right thing. The new Doc wanted Jarod off the drugs and Tyler was anxious to see what was going to happen.

 

The alarm clock rang for five minutes before it finally penetrated into Sydney's dream and awakened him. He slapped at the night stand several times before his hand  
found his target and the jarring noise stopped.

He groaned as he rolled over, wondering briefly what was wrong with his bed. Suddenly it hit him. It wasn't his bed. He sat up quickly and looked at the clock. 3 am. Damn. He  
had to call Parker and Broots and he'd only fallen asleep two hours ago.

Sydney dragged himself out of bed and stumbled over to the desk to place his call. It was 6 am in Blue Cove, and with any luck, Miss Parker hadn't killed Broots yet. He dialed the number and wasn't surprised to have the call answered half way through the first ring.

"Where the hell are you?" Miss Parker screamed in lieu of a greeting.

"Oh good, you're still there," Sydney responded, holding back a yawn. 

Miss Parker glared at Broots who was sitting at her kitchen table trying to look innocent.  
"Yeah, well it's not for lack of trying...on my part," she added, looking at the tech.

It had been fun scaring the hell out of Broots by calling him at home, but the rest of the night had been a disaster. Broots had insisted he needed at least one clue as to Sydney's location before he could try and find him. Miss Parker thought he just wasn't trying hard enough and had badgered him all night. Broots had just finished securing the line before Syd's call came in.

 

"Are you going to tell me what is going on, or do I have to torture Broots?"  
"Broots has no idea where I am, Miss Parker," Sydney told her needlessly.  
"Yes, but he's here and you're not. Any port in the storm, you know?"

Broots looked around the room, locating all the exits as he listened to both sides of the conversation on his headset.

"Listen very closely to what I'm going to say," Sydney instructed. As he spoke, Parker and Broots looked at each other in astonishment as the facts were laid out for them.

When Sydney was done, Broots was on his computer booking two seats from El Paso to Seattle. They would rent a car there and drive to Montana to meet Sydney. Their trip to El Paso would be on the corporate jet. As far as the Centre was concerned, that's as far as they were going.

Broots looked up from his work as Miss Parker passed by. "What do you think?" he asked nervously.

"I think the shit's going to hit the fan and we forgot to buy umbrellas."

 

Cavalry Hotel  
9:00 am  
Sydney dressed hurriedly after the briefest of morning ablutions. His usual debonair appearance suffered by his eagerness to get back to the hospital, back to Jarod.

He walked swiftly to the car, intent on remembering how to get to Stanhope, and didn't see the dark gray sedan pull out of the motel parking lot after him.

 

Jarod was in the day room when Sydney tracked him down. He was sitting in an ancient chair, which looked as if it had been the prototype for waiting room seating, staring at a small television mounted high on the wall. As Syd entered the room, Jarod began to mouth words and phrases in time to the program.

 

"I see you were released from isolation," Sydney commented encouragingly.

An orderly Sydney hadn't met came from the nurses' station. "Yeah, our man here has been improving, so the doctor said he should get out more."

"The doctor?" Syd raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, his other doctor. The one that was here before."

A cold hand clamped onto Sydney's heart. "When did he say this?"

"He called this morning. The Doc said he should be more..." the orderly considered carefully, "accessible."

 

"I see." Syd smiled, dismissing the orderly, and placed a hand on Jarod's shoulder.

Jarod sat staring at the television, completely involved in the program. 

'Ah, no. He's in a sim with a cartoon,' Syd thought. He shook Jarod's shoulder. "Jarod, let's take a walk. Don't you want to take a walk?"

There was no response. Syd put a hand under the younger man's arm and pulled him out of the chair. Jarod made a whining noise in protest. 

"Come on, Jarod, let's take a walk."

Jarod slowly shuffled beside Sydney to the door of the day room. Sydney stopped at the doorway to let someone else in and was startled to see it was Doctor Porter.

"Hello, Doctor Porter," Sydney greeted him with false enthusiasm.

"Well, what'dya know," Porter laughed as he saw Jarod. "What did you do? He looks a lot better."

Sydney glanced back at Jarod who was standing with his neck twisted back, trying to see the TV. Better? If this was better, Sydney was glad he had missed seeing Jarod over the last few weeks.

"I discontinued his medication," Sydney told the other man. He didn't really want anyone else to know, but if Porter checked for some reason, Syd wanted his butt covered.

Porter took a step back from Jarod, remembering how quickly the young man could become violent.

"I don't know if that is such a good idea," Porter admonished. "He was medicated for good reason."

"Yes, I read his chart," Sydney explained. "I'm convinced it was the combination of drugs that was causing the outbursts. He has been off of them for about 12 hours now and is already showing signs of awareness that were not present yesterday."

Porter watched Jarod closely. He did seem to be more in control of himself. Still, it wasn't safe for the other patients if Sydney's diagnosis was off.

"Perhaps you could keep him separated from the others until you are certain he's...calmer."

"That was my thought exactly," Sydney told him. "We're going for a walk and then back to his room. If you want to check on him later, feel free."

Sydney took Jarod by the arm and urged him through the doorway and into the hall before Porter could continue the conversation and perhaps insist on more drugs. He was, after all, the senior doctor on staff and Sydney would most likely be expected to defer to his decisions. 

For a man whose words and actions were usually as meticulous and well thought out as his wardrobe, the impulsive, make-it-up-as-you-go-along escape plan was almost terrifying. Sydney had to force himself not to drag Jarod through the halls. He had to get him out of the hospital and then -where? There was no Refuge for this situation.

"What do we do now?" Syd muttered to himself, more than to Jarod.

"Side door."

He almost didn't hear it, Jarod spoke so softly.

"Jarod!" Syd kept his voice low, even in his surprise. "Are you all right?"

 

"No."

 

"Jarod, do you understand me?"

"Side...door." Jarod's voice had no expression, his eyes as dull and lifeless as before.

Sydney, frustrated, continued to pull the taller man down the hall until the corridor turned at a right angle. There was a side door, but it was on the inside of the corridor, not a way to escape. 

"Jarod? What is this?"

There was no response. 'I've never doubted his abilities before,' Syd reminded himself, and pushed open the heavy steel door bearing the words "Maintenance - No Entry."

He pulled Jarod inside the room, easing the door shut noiselessly, and looked around. There were three huge keg-like structures with pipes snaking in and out of them, tangling overhead.

"The boiler room? Can we hide here, Jarod?"

Syd shook Jarod's shoulder. There was no reply. Jarod had retreated into whatever darkness had held him the previous night. Syd looked at him, uncertain, and then he heard footsteps running in the hall. Looking wildly around the room, he sought a  
hiding place. Syd took a deep breath and pulled Jarod to the back of the room, behind the farthest boiler. In the dark, dirty corner, there was a narrow, wooden panel set into the concrete block wall.

As he heard the door open, and a voice say, "Search in here," Syd opened the panel and pushed Jarod inside. He scrambled after him as quietly as possible, although any noise he made was drowned by the footsteps in the room. Pulling the panel into  
place, Sydney paused to look around the area. The ceiling was too low for them to stand upright, and the floor was dirt.

Crawl space, Sydney thought. But where do we go from here?

Jarod was shivering. Syd took him by the arm and guided him to a part of the wall that was adjacent to a boiler, the warmth coming through the concrete blocks.

Sydney sat down and pulled Jarod beside him. There was a dim light coming from some grill work that was obviously on the outside of the building and Syd could see that Jarod had emotionally shut down.

 

He put his arm around Jarod's shoulders and held the younger man to him as he had when Jarod had been a small child, scared and in need of comforting. 

"It will be all right, Jarod. Someone is coming for us." Sydney didn't think he should mention Miss Parker's name. 

Jarod settled his head into the crook of Syd's neck and shoulder. "Refuge," he whispered in a child's voice, and closed his eyes.

 

Porter was beginning to think it had been a bad idea to tell his boss about Jarod. He knew Mr. Kline had taken an interest in Jarod's case and thought he would kiss up to him by giving him some good news, but it had backfired on him. For some reason, Kline was enraged at Jarod's progress and had ordered Porter to bring Sydney to his office. A quick search of the building had not only shown that Sydney was missing, but that  
he apparently still had Jarod with him.

Porter was standing by the main doors when Tyler and Willis showed up for their shift.

"Hey, what's up, Doc?" Tyler laughed at the old joke.

"A patient is missing," Porter informed them, cutting off the irritating laughter. "Hell, even a doctor is missing," he added. Might as well let everyone in on his mistake.

"What patient?" Willis asked, betting it was old Mrs. Crowder. She liked to hide under things then go to sleep there.

"We're looking for Jarod and Doctor James," Porter answered. "Jarod is off his medication. He might have injured the doctor."

"No he--" Tyler's objection was cut short by a jab to his ribs.

Willis was staring at him fiercely, daring him to continue that sentence.

"He what?" Porter demanded to know.

Tyler looked at his friend then his boss. "He's not the type to hurt someone intentionally. I think the Doc is probably fine."

"He's better be," Porter warned, "or Jarod has seen the end of any freedom he's had today."

Porter yanked open the door and went out to join the search of the vast grounds.

Willis looked at Tyler and shook his head. "That was a little close, partner. You have to watch what you're saying before you get us killed."

"I know, but--"

"No. Now, I know you like Jarod and the Doc seems nice, but we have to stick to the plan. Are you reading me?

 

Tyler nodded his head, suddenly thinking his idea last night to switch syringes was not one of his better moves. What if Jarod had become violent again? 

"Yeah. I got it. Let's go find them."

 

The clerk at Hertz didn't know what hit her, Broots thought ruefully. Miss Parker had given her The Look and the young woman's protests of not having a car for them had dried up. She had ended by giving Miss Parker a Jeep that had been reserved for someone else; someone who probably wouldn't give the poor girl nightmares.

"Map." Miss Parker snapped at Broots, shaking him from his reverie. He fumbled with the catch on the glove compartment, earning an impatient snort of disgust from the driver.

"If we had the GPS receiver - " Broots began as he pawed through the various maps and booklets.

"We still wouldn't know which highway to take." Miss Parker sneered at him, adding, "Moron" for good measure.

Broots looked up from the map. "I think we're going the right way."

"You think?" Miss Parker punched the accelerator and the Jeep shot ahead.

"I think the speed limit is.. ."

She looked at him, and the words dried up on his lips. Broots looked at the scenery whipping past at warp 10 and wished he'd lost his beeper yesterday.

 

Sydney sat in the crawl space for two hours before he decided what to do. He realized it had been a little premature to be looking for an escape route. Especially one that he was directed to by an incoherent psych patient. 

“Jarod, what am I going to do with you?”

There was no reply from the man whose face was still nestled against Sydney’s shoulder. Sydney stroked his hair. 

“We have to go. You’ll get sick if we stay here much longer.” Sighing heavily, Sydney got to his feet and dragged Jarod up with him. "Come on, Jarod," Sydney urged. "I have to think this out a little more before we try it again."

 

Sydney cracked open the panel and checked to make sure the room was empty before stepping into it and pulling Jarod along behind him. When they could both stand straight, Syd brushed the dirt from his clothes then turned Jarod around and brushed him off. "There, I think that will do it," Sydney said as he turned Jarod to face him again.

Sydney noticed Jarod's eyes widen in surprise at something going on over Sydney's shoulder. As Syd turned, he caught just a flash of metal before his world went dark.

Jarod backed up against the wall as Sydney dropped unconscious at his feet. His eyes were fixed on the familiar men that were advancing on him. Jarod was just lucid enough to realize he was in trouble...again.

 

Sydney awoke to a pounding headache and a loud humming in his ears. He opened his eyes and immediately regretted it.

"Doc?"

Sydney thought he recognized that voice. Tyler?

"Doc? You okay?"

No, my head hurts, Sydney wanted to yell. He just didn't think he had the energy for it. He pried his eyes open and let them adjust to the almost blinding light.

Tyler noticed the discomfort and quickly turned off the light directly over the bed. "Okay?"

Sydney started to nod his head then thought better of it. "Yes, thank you," he replied softly. He looked around the room and noted he was in the hospitals main infirmary. That was strange. The last thing he remembered was--

"Jarod!" Sydney yelled, pushing himself up on his elbows.

Tyler grabbed Sydney's shoulders and pushed him back against the pillows. 

"Where is he?" Sydney demanded to know.

"Don't worry, doctor. He's been taken care of."

Sydney and Tyler both turned toward the new voice as Kline entered the room. Sydney cringed, having taken an instant dislike to this pompous windbag when they had met a few days ago.

"Taken care of? What happened? How did I get here?"

"You should learn to follow hospital rules, doctor. You took a violent patient off medication and he attacked you. You're lucky we found you when we did. Who knows what might have happened."

"Jarod would never do that," Sydney argued, trying again to rise against the hands that were determined he was going to lie down.

"We have witnesses that saw Jarod strike you," Kline assured him. "You're just lucky we found you in the maintenance room when we did."

Maintenance room? Sydney remembered that now. He was there with Jarod and they found the crawl space, then came out and someone hit him. It wasn't Jarod.

"Where is Jarod?" Sydney asked calmly, dreading the answer.

"Back in isolation where he belongs," Kline replied. "I have ordered him back on stronger meds and I expect him to stay on them this time. I want you to take a few days off."

"No," Sydney objected. "I need to see Jarod. You know...get back on the horse."

"Not possible. Hospital liability and everything being as it is, I must insist you take a few days off, starting now."

Sydney started to object again then realized how it might look. He had, according to hospital records, only known Jarod for two days. There would be no reason for him to be that attached to a patient after so short a time.

Sydney acquiesced and Kline appeared to consider the matter closed. He ordered Tyler to make sure Sydney got home okay then promptly left the room.

"Did you see Jarod today?" Sydney asked.

Tyler shook his head figuring it wasn't really a lie. He hadn't seen Jarod, just heard what happened. "I'll check in on him if you'd like before we go."

Sydney smiled gratefully and sank back on the bed. "That would be a big help, Tyler. Thank you."

Tyler grinned easily. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

 

Tyler hurried down to the isolation ward where he knew Willis was watching over Jarod. He hadn't had a chance to get down here yet, but Willis had already told him things were not looking good.

Tyler arrived in the room and looked at Jarod, then knew Willis was the master of understatement. Didn't look good? He didn't know how Jarod could look worse.

"Where have you been," Willis demanded in a harsh whisper, not wanting his voice to carry in case someone was lurking in the hall.

"I was upstairs with the Doc," Tyler explained as he closed the door behind him. He moved to the bed and looked down at Jarod. "How's he doin'?"

Willis shook his head in disgust.

"I'm not sure what they gave him this time, but he just stopped shaking about ten minutes ago. Look at this," he offered. He pulled down the blanket that was covering Jarod and raised his shirt. Tyler cringed at the deep bruises that were already settling  
in along Jarod's chest and stomach.

"Damn," Tyler muttered in disgust. "Why'd they have to do that? They knew he was in no condition to put up a fight."

"No, he wasn't," Willis agreed, covering Jarod again. "But they're gonna say your buddy here was the one that hit the Doc and it would look mighty strange if a violent patient came away without a scratch. What I want to know," he continued, "is why they hit the Doc. Why not just yell at him for taking Jarod off meds or just take him away as a patient?"

Tyler shrugged his shoulders then reached for Willis' arm. "Don't," he warned, stopping his partner’s movements.

Willis looked up from the restraints he had just grabbed. "I have to. Someone else might check," he reasoned. He waited for another objection before quickly strapping Jarod's wrists and ankles to the bed.

Tyler watched as Willis finished up then made sure Jarod was tucked in and warm.

"I'm supposed to give the Doc a ride home." He looked back at Jarod as they went to the door. "He wants to know how Jarod is. What should I say?" 

Willis sighed at yet another problem. "Tell him he's sleeping. It's not quite a lie."

 

Sydney had just turned on the lights in his room when there was a rather obnoxious knock on the door. He glanced at his watch and wondered how many speeding tickets Miss Parker acquired this time.

He tugged at his tie and undid the first few buttons of his dress shirt as he went to the door. Screw his image; he'd had a really bad day.

Miss Parker was tapping her foot impatiently when the door opened and she brushed past Sydney without so much as a look. It was Broots that noticed the flesh colored butterfly bandage on Sydney's forehead.

"What happened to you?"

"Officially or unofficially?"

Broots shrugged his shoulders noncommittally. "Whichever is more interesting."

Sydney waited until he had both of their attention before giving his answer. "I took Jarod off his medication and he attacked me."

There was stunned silence as that sank in then Miss Parker was the first to speak. "Is that the official explanation or the interesting one?"

Sydney smiled in relief. They didn't buy it either. "That is the official explanation. I don't actually remember what happened, but I am certain that Jarod had nothing to do with  
this," he assured them, gesturing to the lump and cut.

"Sooo, what's going on here?" Broots asked, wondering if it was even his place to expect an accounting of Sydney's actions over the last week.

Sydney sat on the couch and explained how he came to be at the hospital and what he had observed with Jarod, ending with the escapade in the crawl space.

"That's the last thing you remember?" Miss Parker asked for the third time.

Sydney nodded then regretted it as the motion added to his king-sized headache.

"I recall closing the panel to the crawl space and that is it." He leaned back and rubbed his eyes, thinking. "Why did Jarod want me in that room?"

Miss Parker snorted and the two men turned to look at her. "Why do you insist he wanted you in there? Just because he mumbled 'side door' does not mean he was giving you directions. You said yourself that they have him so full of drugs that he's practically catatonic." She had been unwrapping a stick of gum and she waved it at him to make her point before smugly popping it in her mouth.

Sydney was just about to admit she had something there when he looked at Broots. The tech was staring off into space, tapping a pencil against the end of his nose. Syd glanced over and saw Miss Parker had also noticed that he was deep in thought. They waited for several minutes before Broots finally smiled and turned toward them.

"Well?" Miss Parker asked, knowing he had thought of something they missed.

"Sydney," Broots began, obviously pleased with himself. "What, exactly, was in that room?"

"Boilers, pipes, cables...." Sydney closed his eyes, trying to visualize the room. There was something else.

"How about a fuse box?" Broots prompted.

Sydney opened his eyes and grinned. Broots was positively beaming.

"Oh, God," Miss Parker moaned, sitting down on the end of the bed. "Even drugged that damn brain works."

"So Jarod did lead me in there for a reason," Sydney concluded. "He just couldn't tell me what it was or what to do with the information."

"So now what?" Broots asked. He was beginning to like this undercover work.

"Now, we plan the great escape."

 

During the two days Sydney was forced to take off, the three of them mapped out every detail of their plan. Broots was sent back to Billings with the Jeep and he traded it in for a van. Once they had Jarod, the van would go back to be replaced with a car. They also rented adjoining rooms in a town 45 miles from the hospital, the maximum distance Sydney was willing to make Jarod travel.  
Miss Parker had managed to get her hands on the blueprints for the hospital and they spent the evening pouring over them, trying to pinpoint the best place to emerge from the crawl space onto the hospital grounds. Several locations had to be scrapped  
when Sydney remembered outdoor lighting in those areas. They finally agreed on a spot along the west wall. The blueprints showed a small access door to the crawl space under the new wing. It was lucky for them that this area had been added two years ago. Without it, an undetected escape would have been impossible.

 

Sydney pulled his suitcase out of the trunk and looked around the new motel. The area was quiet and the rooms they had rented were on the back end of the first floor and had parking outside the door. It was exactly what they needed.

He pulled the key from his pocket and entered the room, dropping the suitcase by the door. As it thumped down, Miss Parker appeared from the adjoining room, gun drawn.

"Don't shoot, Miss Parker," Sydney ordered, stepping further into the room.

Parker sighed and tucked the gun in the back of her pants. "You're early," she accused as way of explanation for pulling her weapon.

"I'm anxious to get to the hospital," he informed her. "Is everything ready here?"

"Everything is set," Broots announced as he entered the room. 

Sydney nodded and looked around the room. Another twelve hours or so and they should have Jarod back, assuming he was in any condition to escape tonight.

 

Sydney arrived at the hospital for his late afternoon shift and went about his work as if nothing was wrong. He had wanted to make a beeline for isolation, but there was paperwork to fill out regarding his alleged attack and an endless stream of employees  
wanting to know how he was doing and what had happened. 

It was a little after 9 p.m. when Sydney looked at his watch for the last time. He pulled up Jarod's records on the computer and e-mailed them to a secured address that Broots had set up. He then erased the message from the 'sent mail' file and then deleted all references to Jarod from the system. When he was certain he had followed all of Broots' instructions, he headed downstairs.

 

Sydney heard the yelling as soon as the elevator doors opened. The guard was just getting to his feet as Sydney ran past him, instinctively knowing where the commotion was coming from. As he rounded the corner his suspicions were confirmed as an  
orderly was propelled backwards out of Jarod's room, bouncing against the opposite wall. What he was not prepared for was the sight of Tyler hurling himself through the same doorway and landing on the man, fists flying.

Sydney and the guard grabbed Tyler and pulled him off the bigger man, holding him until he stopped struggling.

“Mr. Tyler! What is going on here?” Sydney demanded.

Tyler shrugged under their hands, watching angrily as the big man he had attacked made his escape. After a nod from Syd, the guard ambled after him. Tyler twisted out of Sydney’s hands and spat blood from a split lip on the floor.

In reply to further questions, he would only comment that the guy was ‘messing with Jarod’.

Sydney hurried into Jarod’s room, seeing him lying shirtless with a variety of new bruises beside the bed, only one wrist restraint in evidence.

“Oh, Jarod.” Sydney fumbled with the restraint, finally unbuckling it.

 

Jarod made no sound as Sydney grasped his shoulders and raised him to his feet, but he promptly collapsed in Sydney’s arms. Sydney sat heavily on the bed, still clasping Jarod against him. How to get him to the maintenance room now? And through the crawl space? Sydney’s mind was blank. One step at a time, he told himself. First get him mobile.

 

“Mr. Tyler, would you get me a wheelchair, please!” 

 

“Just stay in the car, then!” Miss Parker hissed at Broots before dropping to the ground and slithering through the weeds up to the fence. “Hand me the wire clippers!”

 

“I thought you said I could stay in the car.” 

 

Parker shot him a look that would sear a rain forest. He handed her the wire clippers and she efficiently cut a gate into the chain link fence. After looking around, she sprang to her feet and sprinted across the lawn to the building and flattened herself  
to the side, bosom heaving unrestrained in the black T-shirt she was wearing.

 

Broots rose from his crouch to follow her and nearly flipped backward when sharp edges hooked into his sweater. 

“Owww!”

 

“Shut up!” Parker watched the hapless tech struggle to detach himself from the fence for several moments, then, muttering ‘moron’ to herself, she ran back and yanked his sweater free.

 

“You tore it!”

 

“Idiot. Get over here.” Not letting go of his sweater, Parker dragged Broots to the building. “Find that access door.”

 

Jarod was not quite unconscious, but the sedation was extremely heavy. Sydney found that pushing him through the hallway was simpler if he kept his head down and concentrated on not going too fast. 

It had been easy to send Tyler away on a time-consuming errand. The man had been very eager to leave but Sydney couldn’t afford the time to consider a reason. Instead, he had to hustle himself into an orderlies uniform as well as shoving Jarod's arms and head into his shirt.

 

Finally, he reached the maintenance room. Wedging the door open with his foot, then his knee, Sydney maneuvered the wheelchair into the room and bounced it down the three stairs to the concrete floor. Rolling Jarod over to the last boiler, Sydney darted behind it to tear open the small door to the crawl space.

 

Returning to the wheelchair, Sydney crouched down and spoke Jarod’s name in an urgent whisper. There was no response. He placed his hands under Jarod’s armpits and dragged the taller man behind the boiler.

 

“I don’t care if you are afraid of snakes, get in here!” Parker added a few whispered curse words as Broots reluctantly folded his lanky body through the outer access door  
and into the crawl space. 

 

“What if there are rats?” He shuddered, imagining their red, feral eyes watching him. He looked at Miss Parker, catching her ice-blue, feral eyes locked on him. 

 

“Sometimes they have rabies,” he whispered defensively.

 

Her body language eloquent of her disgust, Miss Parker proceeded around the concrete wall, one hand trailing along it, feeling for the door into the maintenance room. She felt her hand caught by something both silky and sticky. Spider web! Parker stifled a cry. God, she hated spiders. She controlled her panic, conscious of Broots behind her. Jarod would pay for this, she vowed. Before she handed him over, she would take this out of his hide.

 

She smiled, thinking of various methods she could use for revenge, and glanced back at Broots, making sure he hadn’t gotten lost.

 

Broots saw that predatory smile and prayed that it wasn’t for him.

 

“Jarod!” Sydney huffed, “I’m going to need your help.” He was kneeling in the crawl space and Jarod was slumped in the doorway. 

 

“What’s wrong with Ratboy?” Miss Parker’s toxic tone had never sounded sweeter to Sydney.

 

“Help me get him through here. He’s sedated, I think.”

 

At her nod, Sydney began to drag Jarod backwards, while Miss Parker grasped his midsection, and told Broots to take his feet.

 

While dragging him through, the flimsy hospital pants had caught on the sill and been pulled down, giving Miss Parker a very up-close and personal view of Jarod. She began to revise her payback demands.

 

“Uh. . .should someone close that door?” Broots broke into her reverie.

 

“Do it.” She took the opportunity of Broots releasing Jarod’s feet to ease the hospital pants back up around his waist. Wouldn’t do for him to catch cold, she grinned to herself.

 

Sydney watched the play of thoughts across Miss Parker’s face in the dim light with mingled irritation and satisfaction. 

 

“I hid the wheelchair in a broom closet.” Broots' voice was a signal to proceed, and they awkwardly half carried, half dragged Jarod through the crawl space to the access door. 

 

After checking for pursuers, they hustled the limp man into the darker shadows of the building, praying the moon would stay hidden behind the clouds. 

“I’ll get the van.” Miss Parker ran to the fence, slid through the hole and disappeared into the brush where the vehicle was hidden.

 

When they heard the motor, the two men carried Jarod across the manicured grass, and carefully pulled and pushed him through the hole in the fence. As Broots brought up the rear, he saw Miss Parker watching him contemptuously while he crawled through the hole with exaggerated care.

As soon as the men were in the van, Parker slammed it in gear and raced from the scene. As she drove, she kept looking in the rear view mirror to see what was going on in the back seat. She wasn't sure what she had expected from the escape, but it wasn't this.

"Nobody is following us," Broots announced. "I don't think they'll miss Jarod for a while.

"I don't know how much they’ve given him or even what they’ve given him.” Sydney’s voice drifted from the back seat where he was holding Jarod. “I won't be able to gauge his condition until we get back to the motel. I'd advise you to drive faster."

Miss Parker smiled and mashed the gas pedal toward the floorboard. "No problem!"

 

Changing to a motel in the next town had seemed like a good idea at the time, but they were all secretly wishing they were going to hide out a little closer. Despite Miss Parker's rocket-like driving on the back roads, it felt like forever to get to the motel. 

Parker had slowed to the speed limit when they passed through the town and she approached the motel from the back. At 2300 hours there wasn't a soul in sight as the van stopped outside their rooms on the first floor. Miss Parker was out of the van and had the room door open before Broots had even opened the back door. She left the light off so as not to cast a spotlight on them while they got Jarod inside; just in case.

She watched as Broots and Sydney each put one of Jarod arms over their shoulders and dragged him into the room. As soon as she closed the door behind them she hit the light nearest her then watched them lay Jarod on the bed.

Broots let out a nervous laugh and was rewarded with smiles from his two partners in crime.

"That's the most excitement I've ever had," he admitted needlessly. Nobody doubted that for a second.

"Well, let’s get a good look at what we risked life and limb for," she proposed as she clicked on the bedside lamp.

Sydney was the only one prepared for the sight of Jarod laid out on the cheap motel bedspread. There were bruises on his face and a two-day stubble darkening his jaw line. His body was limp, ungainly. In no way did he resemble the taunting game player they had been pursuing with futility.

"Get the first-aid kit from the next room, Miss Parker, and some wet towels, also. Use warm water." He began easing the filthy T-shirt over the man's bruised ribs. 

"What is he, pregnant?" Miss Parker snapped as she stepped forward to gloat over their captive. She breathed in sharply through her nostrils as she saw the discolored flesh. 

"Dear God, Syd, what did they do to him?" It had been too dark to see much during the escape, and what little she had seen was permanently burned into her brain.

"Parker!" She responded to the urgency in Sydney's voice, hurrying into the adjoining room. As she was getting the kit she heard Syd urging Broots to be gentle as they undressed him, not to hurt him anymore than they had to.

She ran water in the sink, getting it warm then wetting a towel with it. Slinging the wet towel over her shoulder, she snatched up a dry one, and grabbed the first aid kit with her other hand. As she rushed into the room, she nearly tripped on the pile of  
Jarod's grimy clothing.

"I can count every rib, Sydney." She gazed at the naked man lying unconscious on the bed. "What the hell were they doing to him?"

Sydney took the kit from her hand, and flipped it open. Glancing at the contents and then back at Jarod, he commented, "I won't know how bad it is until we've cleaned  
him up a bit, first. Broots, if you would. . ."

"Uh, sure, Syd, what do you need?" The man's helplessness was evident in his tone and in the way he had stepped back from Jarod once they had stripped him.

"Go hide that van like you're supposed to, Broots," Parker snapped. "I'll help Syd." She glared at Syd's uplifted eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing, Parker," Sydney replied smoothly as Broots grabbed the keys where they had been dropped on the floor and bolted from the building. "I'd just never envisioned you as Florence Nightingale."

"Don't strain yourself." She sat on the bed, pulling the wet towel from her shoulder, noticing for the first time that her t-shirt was soaked. It didn't really matter. Jarod wasn't the only one that was covered with crawl space grime.

Clean his face first - gently, nurse." Sydney said as he stood and moved away, giving Miss Parker access to Jarod's body.

She didn't reply, but began daubing Jarod's face with a corner of the towel. Through the cooling wet of the terrycloth, she could feel the heat of his face and neck. As she carefully washed his chest and upper arms, she began to worry. "He's really hot, Syd."

"I noticed," he assured her as he sifted through the supplies he had appropriated from the hospital and their own medical kit.

"I mean it, Syd. He's burning up." She used a fresh part of the towel to gently wipe at the bruises on his chest. She glanced at his face. He better not be pretending, she thought angrily, as her towel rubbed lower.

"Umm, maybe I should take over now, Miss Parker." Sydney's upbringing fought with his sense of humor at her approaching predicament.

"If comes to it, I've probably seen more naked men than you have, Sydney." Parker forced herself to be impersonal, even though she had never seen this man quite so naked before. She dreamed about it, though… Doesn't look as though he was catheterized," Parker murmured as she paused in her washing.

"He wasn't," Syd commented over her shoulder, making her jump. She hadn't known he was observing her progress so closely.

Parker leaned over Jarod's legs, washing down to his bruised ankles in long strokes, bending forward so that her hair fell over her face. She knew she was blushing. Damn Syd. Damn Jarod.  
"Help me turn him over." She stood, looking down on Jarod, gripping the wet towel in her hands.

"No, that will do for a start." Sydney drew a blanket he'd been holding over Jarod's lower body. “The best thing is to let him sleep off the medication.”

“He could do that at the Centre.” Miss Parker’s voice was abstracted as she watched Sydney place a hand on Jarod’s brow, feeling for the fever she knew was there. As his hands continued down Jarod's chest, examining bruises and checking ribs, Miss Parker found it more and more difficult to concentrate.

“Not until we know for certain who’s behind his condition here.” Sydney spoke firmly. He wasn’t going to allow Parker to take Jarod back to the Centre. Not now that his life was threatened, maybe not ever. He fought the urge to meet Miss Parker’s eyes, knowing that his resolve would be too difficult to hide after their shared danger and concern.

“Syd. He is going back. He has to go back. If he doesn’t, I can’t--" Parker broke off. The deal with Raines and her father was not up for discussion. She turned to look at the curtained window, as if she could see her salvation in the still darkness beyond.

“Parker. . .” Sydney had stood and was reaching out to comfort her. He had always felt that she was his charge, almost as much as Jarod. He owed her mother that much. He didn’t touch her, though. He had been rejected so many times, that even now, when he could hear the desperate pain in her voice, he was afraid to try and bridge the distance between them.

Jarod groaned softly behind them, breaking the reverie that gripped them. Sydney sank back onto the bed beside him. Miss Parker turned her head and stared at the unconscious man, now beginning to move restlessly on the bed. 

“Alcohol and a washcloth would be helpful, Miss Parker.” Sydney’s voice was more formal than he wanted, but the alternative would be unbearable for them both.

Miss Parker stalked to the bathroom for the washcloth, stopping on her way back to the bed to rummage through the kit for a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Unscrewing the top, she  
slopped a generous amount on the cloth and handed it to Sydney. Even though Jarod had a scrape adorning his bruise, he didn’t flinch when Sydney touched his face. Sydney knew the quickly evaporating alcohol cooled much faster than water, and it was  
worth any discomfort Jarod might subconsciously feel.

“Uh, Sydney. There’s a car out here,” Broots whispered from the doorway as he came back in from hiding the van.

“It’s a parking lot, moron.” Miss Parker had less than her usual venom in her tone. 

“It's this gray car. It drove up, but no one got out. It's just sitting there. I've been waiting for ten minutes to come back in." 

“I’ll look. Miss Parker, if you please. . .” Syd handed her the alcohol soaked washcloth, and walked towards Broots, ignoring her impatient sigh, and not allowing her to see the slight grin on his face. “Show me this car, Broots.”

Miss Parker clenched her hand around the cloth, and then quickly sat on the bed beside Jarod. His face was already dry from Sydney’s efforts, but his neck and chest, visible above the blanket, bore a slick sheen of sweat. Pulling the blanket down as far as she dared, Miss Parker began to wipe Jarod’s body with light, even strokes.

She tried not to think about the man beside her, about the brush of his chest hair against her knuckles as she cooled his fevered skin. The muscles of his body were obvious. She longed to be able to make a disinterested comment, something like  
“Frankenboy has been working out,” but she knew the quiver in her voice would betray her. 

She bit her lip and concentrated on the alcohol rubdown. Jarod muttered something and Miss Parker leaned over him, trying to understand his fever-induced speech. She bent her head so her ear was directly above his lips, but he was silent and Miss Parker was suddenly aware that the tips of her breasts were touching Jarod’s chest through the thin material of her black t-shirt. She was still a moment, savoring the sensation. 

“Jarod.” She drew his name out in a long breath.

“The car had gone, Miss Parker.” 

She started, but managed to control most of her reaction, using it to spring to her feet. 

“Fine, then you can finish with him. I’m going to get some sleep.”

“Broots is already half-asleep in the other room, Parker. I could use someone to help me keep an eye on Jarod tonight, in case his condition worsens.”

“Wake me when it’s my turn,” she snarled, and flung herself into an armchair, closing her eyes and willing her body to relax. She didn’t even move a few seconds later to acknowledge the blanket that Sydney draped over her, just pushed her face into  
the side of the chair and drew her legs up under the warmth. Sooner than she would have thought possible, Miss Parker fell asleep.

 

Parker woke to the sound of Sydney's voice murmuring softly and nonsensically. She quietly sat up in the chair where she had fallen asleep and crossed the room unnoticed. The sight that greeted her caused an unnatural lump to form in her stomach and she felt her throat constrict, trying to stop the tears that came unbidden to her eyes.

Jarod’s bruised face was lying on the pillow facing her, and Sydney sat on the bed with his back to her, stroking Jarod’s back as if he were a small child. Jarod’s eyes were closed but his face wasn't slack with sleep. He was obviously awake and allowing Sydney this access.

Miss Parker could see the tension in Syd’s shoulders, at odds with the gentleness of his touch, the soft croon in his voice. 'What is he afraid of?' she wondered. Then she knew. He was afraid of Jarod awaking. Afraid of his hostility, his anger, his unwillingness to accept that despite everything, or even because of it, Sydney loved him as a son.

Miss Parker swallowed hard. That’s the difference between us, Jarod, she thought. You've always known what you were missing and I've just found out recently. You had Sydney, more than I had him or anyone else, even my father.

As if he heard her, Jarod’s eyes opened and he stared directly at her. Sydney’s hand faltered and fell to his side, he straightened and leaned a more impersonal distance from the prone man.

Fighting to keep her voice even and dry, Miss Parker drawled, "It looks like Ratboy here has had enough beauty sleep, Syd.”

Sydney looked down at Jarod, instantly recognizing the familiar, blank stare. No, he hadn't come back to them. Not yet. "I'm afraid not, Miss Parker. It's going to take a while for his body to purge itself of the drugs."

Miss Parker nodded her head resignedly. Of course it would. There was no way her luck was going to be good enough to get out of this dump in less than a week.

Parker glanced at Jarod again and swore he was watching her. She took three steps to her left and frowned when his eyes refused to follow her movements. She looked at her watch and realized she had been asleep for five hours. It was 6 am, an hour after her 'watch Jarod' shift was supposed to begin. 

"Why didn't you wake me?" she asked, somewhat miffed that Sydney wasn't following her orders.

"I wasn't tired," Sydney offered as an explanation. "He awoke an hour ago and seemed agitated and I wanted to make sure he was all right before I left him--" he was going to say 'with you' but caught himself.

Miss Parker noticed how the unfinished sentence hung in the air yet chose to ignore it. She looked at Jarod who had closed his eyes again. "Well, he seems fine now so get some sleep or you'll be useless later."

"Perhaps you're right, Miss Parker. I think I'll have something to eat then get some rest."

Parker watched as Sydney stood up from the bed and automatically reached for Jarod before remembering she was there. He hesitated a moment before making his decision to ignore her as he carefully drew the blanket up to Jarod's shoulder before leaving the room without a look back.

She waited until she was sure he wasn't going to pop back in before stepping closer to the bed. Leaning over the sleeping form she put her lips to his ear. She'd soon know if he was pretending or not.

"Remember that kiss, Jarod? Want another?" She moved back slightly so she could see his face. His eyes were closed, his face expressionless. She traced his eyebrow with a  
fingernail, not hard enough for pain, but enough to give a promise of it. Jarod didn't move. The fingernail trailed down his cheekbone, rasping through his two-day stubble. The man just lay there. Fine. When her nail came to the bruise she dug in just a little, leaving a white line in the discolored flesh.

Miss Parker breathed in sharply, and knelt on the floor, her hand still poised above Jarod's face. She licked her lips, scrutinizing his face for any sign that he felt what she was doing. She lifted her hand, trading the sharp nail for her fingertip. Slowly she touched his eyelids. There wasn't even a blink response. She ran her finger down the bridge of his nose. 

'I'm testing his response to stimulus, ' she told herself, but as she traced his lips with a gentle finger, her other hand touched her own lips. 

She caressed the bruise she had previously mistreated. Maddening man, always tricking her, always playing games. She moved her face close to his. 

"It was a nice kiss, Jarod," she breathed onto his lips. Unable to resist she brushed them with her own. "Tell me you want another.....and more." She licked his lip, the hand that had been caressing his face, now touching his hair. "Jarod?" 

He hadn't moved. She would have expected more response if he were in a coma rather than drugged. She kissed him again. She whispered his name into his lips again. "Thank you for the bunny."

"Uh, Miss Parker? Sydney wants to know if you want hash browns or grits with your breakfast?"

Parker stood and faced the tech so fast he thought he'd imagined her kneeling before Jarod, a tender look on her face. “Grits?" The word was hissed at him. "Moron. Coffee.  
Black. And a pack of Cigarettes." 

Broots stood still and blinked at her.

"Now!" He scooted from the room. He must have imagined it. The queen of mean wouldn't have been kissing Jarod. Torturing him, maybe. He decided not to mention it to Sydney.

In the room, Miss Parker took a long shuddering breath, and strode to the window. Staring out at the parking lot, she blinked away the tears that threatened to blind her and fought the urge to cry.

 

Miss Parker sat back and watched, somewhat amused, as Sydney tried to get Jarod to eat lunch. Breakfast had gone rather well and Syd had been smugly convinced the rest of the day was going to work out just the same.

"Come on," Sydney coaxed, trying to get Jarod to open his mouth. "This is good for you."

"Oh, now you've done it," Parker sneered. "How many times have you used that line on him?"

Sydney turned and glared at her for a moment before turning back to his obstinate patient. He took hold of Jarod's jaw and tried to force his mouth open far enough to get the spoon in it. From his breakfast experience, and what Tyler had told him, Sydney knew that he just had to get the idea of eating across to Jarod and he would feed himself. Unfortunately, he seemed determined not to taste the yogurt that Sydney was foisting upon him.

Miss Parker was still happily ensconced in Sydney's dilemma when Broots returned from a quick shopping trip.

"I got everything on the list and a few extra items to make your job easier," he announced confidently. He dropped several plastic grocery bags on the floor and carried a paper sack over to the bed. Broots watched for a moment as Jarod ignored  
another yogurt attempt before Sydney gave up.

"May I?" Broots asked, gesturing toward Jarod.

Sydney was so exasperated by this point he just stood up and stepped aside. Broots sat down on the bed and Sydney tried to hand him the yogurt container but Broots made a face and waved it away.

"I don't want that, and I know he doesn't, do you Jarod?" he asked, not expecting a response and not getting one. Jarod continued to stare straight ahead as he had done ever since he woke up.

Broots reached into the bag and removed several items and set them in Jarod's lap on top of the blanket. Miss Parker caught the disgusted look on Sydney's face and got up from her chair and crossed the room.

"You can't give him that!" Sydney proclaimed, reaching for Broots' hand. Broots dodged Sydney's grasp and took hold of Jarod's jaw as Sydney had done earlier.

"You want him to eat, don't you?" Broots asked innocently.

Miss Parker spoke before Sydney could answer. "Broots....what is that?"

Broots looked at his two companions in amazement.

"Number 7 combo, super-sized. Haven't you ever dined under the golden arches?" he asked, knowing what the answer would have been had they bothered to actually answer him.

It didn't appear that they were going to stop him so Broots picked up a French fry and held it up against Jarod's lips. His left hand gently squeezed the back of Jarod's jaw until his lips parted and he quickly pushed the fry inside and let go. 

It took almost a full minute for the alert part of Jarod's brain to locate the food and issue the command to chew. Once he tasted the food though, it was only a matter of seconds before he blinked and looked down at the meal.

"It's all yours. Enjoy." Broots was grinning from ear to ear as Jarod began devouring the burger and fries.

Sydney shook his head in disgust.

"Thirty-three years of healthy eating...wasted," he muttered as he dropped into the armchair.

Broots, still on a high from coming to the rescue, patted Sydney on the shoulder in mock sympathy. "Better that than nothing. Right?"

Sydney merely shook his head again, trying not to notice how much Jarod appeared to be enjoying his meal. Miss Parker was only slightly less repulsed.

"Well, Syd. You said he needed some fat on him. My guess is he's eating about a half pound of it right now."

"Drink."

"What?" the three of them asked each other, then realized none of them had spoken. As one, they turned and looked at Jarod who had finished eating and was looking at them expectantly.

Sydney got up slowly and moved to the side of the bed. Jarod's eyes followed him.

"Did you want something, Jarod?" he asked hopefully.

Jarod stared at him for a moment then repeated his request.

"Drink."

Broots and Sydney practically ran Miss Parker down in their haste to locate a drink. Broots was digging in one of the bags he had dropped earlier.

"Here!" he shouted triumphantly holding up a can of cola.

Sydney turned when he heard the can hiss open and groaned.

"I was thinking more along the lines of water, Broots," Sydney admonished.

Broots had already handed the can to Jarod who was happily draining it in one, long swallow.

"I owed it to him," Broots explained. "I drank the one that came with his lunch on the way back."

"Oh, well that makes it okay," Miss Parker said dryly. "I'm surprised you didn't get him a Happy Meal."

Broots grinned. "I didn't think he'd like the toy that came with it."

Jarod finished the drink and handed the empty can to Broots then closed his eyes.

"Wait! Jarod!" Sydney yelled, trying to keep the younger man's attention focused.

Jarod opened his eyes again and cocked his head, looking at Sydney with a puzzled expression. "Sydney?"

"Yes, Jarod. Can you understand me?" he asked hopefully as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Jarod seemed to be on the verge of answering but before he could get the command to speak through his drug soaked brain, he forgot what he was going to say and he sank back into his own world where it was quiet and nobody wanted anything  
from him.

Sydney watched as the spark of recognition faded from Jarod's face and his eyes stared off into nothingness once again.

"Jarod? Answer me!" he demanded, grabbing the younger man by his shoulders and shaking him hard enough that even Miss Parker was surprised.

She was about to say something when Sydney realized what he was doing and abruptly released Jarod, jumped up and left the room.

Miss Parker and Broots exchanged shocked looks as the door to the adjoining room slammed. The episode seemed to have little if no effect on Jarod. He was already half asleep, still sitting up against the headboard. 

Wordlessly, Miss Parker and Broots manhandled Jarod into a more comfortable position and left him to sleep. Neither spoke of Sydney's outburst and they spent the rest of the afternoon in silence.

 

Dinner time came and went without Sydney joining them. Broots and Parker amused themselves that evening by watching pay-per-view movies and feeding Jarod the junk food that Broots had purchased and Sydney had immediately confiscated. By the time Sydney made an appearance the next morning, Broots was having a difficult time getting Jarod to eat breakfast. He and Miss Parker had already agreed the previous night’s snacks were probably the culprit.  
Beyond commenting that they had given Jarod his cholesterol quota for the month, Sydney allowed the other two to feed Jarod, and clean him up afterwards.

 

Sydney was collecting the garbage from lunch, oblivious to the silent argument going on behind him. Broots and Miss Parker were gesturing wildly at each other, trying to force the other to break the oppressive silence. Broots finally gave in.

“We need some equipment if we’re going to stay here and convince you-know-who we're in Texas." Broots’ face twitched nervously.

“No, who?” Miss Parker bit out sarcastically.

“You know. . .” Broots hunched his shoulders. “Him,” he whispered.

“I can’t hear you!” Miss Parker spoke loudly, shattering the oppressive cloud of angst that had gathered after Sydney’s scene of the previous day.

“Miss Parker, for heaven’s sake!” Sydney sighed. “What is it we need to get, Broots?”

As Broots began to list the equipment, Miss Parker huffed impatiently. “Spare me the geek recital, just go and get it.”

“It’s a lot to carry.” Broots almost whined.

“I’ll help you, Broots.” Sydney stood and walked to the door. He opened it, blinking a little at the bright sunlight after the dim light in the curtained room.

Behind his back, Miss Parker and Broots exchanged a conspiratorial look, and Broots hurried after him. 

“Well, Jarod, alone at last.” Miss Parker looked at him where he lay in bed, staring at the TV.

After locking the door, she checked on Jarod one last time before heading into the adjoining room to take a shower. He was just where she left him; lying in bed, staring at the TV. She shook her head in wonder. It was amazing what the human mind could do to protect itself. Sydney was sure the drugs would wear off any time now, but Jarod was still practically catatonic.

She quickly stripped off her pants and blouse before remembering to lock the door to this room also. All she needed was Sydney and Broots to come back early and walk in on her. She also didn't want Syd to know she left Jarod alone for ten minutes. One more glance in the next room assured her Jarod wasn't going anywhere and she pulled off her underwear and headed into the bathroom.

 

Jarod became aware of an itch on his arm and the annoying drone of the TV. He blinked and slowly looked around the room. He seemed to be alone. The last thing he remembered was.....what? He had fuzzy images of the hospital. Hiding. Sydney telling him someone was coming to get them. His head had started to clear that day and he suspected the drugs had been stopped for some reason.  
He thought harder and had a vague memory of being carried at night and a wild ride. Hands on his body and voices. Familiar voices. Jarod looked around the room again. He knew they were here; Sydney, Broots and Miss Parker. He could almost hear them talking now. Unbidden words and phrases popped into his mind. Catatonic. He can't hear you, Miss Parker. He just sits and stares, Syd. It's spooky.  
Jarod closed his eyes tightly and covered his ears, trying to stop the voices until he could sort through and make sense of them.

 

Miss Parker turned on the shower and waited for the water to warm up before getting in. She looked in the mirror at her own lithe form and recalled all the times her father had said she was just too damn thin. She had heard it so many times she had recently started to believe it. That was changed now. She had seen firsthand what 'too thin' was while she cared for Jarod. She could still feel his ribs under her fingers as she reached to run her hand over her own. She was relieved there was a notable difference between her thin and Jarod's thin.  
She opened the door to the shower and was greeted with a blast of cool air where it should have been warm.

"Damn," she hissed to the empty room. She turned the knob for the hot water and it came off in her hand. She stared at it for almost a minute while cursing the events that brought her to this hell hole that didn't even have working showers.

She reached back through the cold spray and turned off the water. Grabbing her clean clothes off the hook behind the door, she stormed out of the bathroom. While she continued to curse everyone she had ever met she stomped through to the adjoining room and slammed the other bathroom's door. She was turning on the new shower before realizing she had just walked past Jarod completely naked.

She stood there for a moment as the room began to steam up, wondering what had possessed her to do that. She cracked the door open and peeked out. Jarod sat exactly as she had left him; staring at the TV. Well, at least one good thing came out of his problem; he obviously never noticed she was even in the room. With that comforting thought in mind, she finally started her shower.

 

Jarod heard the shower door close and sighed in relief. His decision minutes ago to pretend to still be unresponsive almost went up in smoke as Miss Parker passed by stark naked. It was all he could do to keep his jaw from dropping at the sight. He knew his eyes had followed her every move and was grateful that she had been too preoccupied to notice. By the time she had peeked out at him, he was completely in character for his continuing role.

 

Miss Parker let the hot water roll down her body and closed her eyes. A sudden picture of Jarod, lying naked in the next room, was enough to snap them open again and she groaned aloud. Damn him. It wasn't supposed to be like this. When she had him under her control he was supposed to be arrogant and demanding with just a touch of fear and a little begging. He was not supposed to be lost and withdrawn, sick and needy.  
Sydney had called her Florence Nightingale. Was that it? Was it just human nature taking over, making her want to take him in her arms and absorb his pain? She thought about it for a moment then shook her head. No, that wasn't it.

She didn't know why it was so hard to admit. She wanted him; and not as a prisoner to turn over to her father. She wanted him as a man and she had known it since they were teenagers. She always figured she had time. Time to find a way to get him alone in the Centre so she could educate him in ways that Pretenders never learned. Then he had ruined everything by escaping. Within six months another woman was his teacher and Miss Parker had been beside herself with jealousy. It was wrong. Jarod belonged to her and she'd make certain he knew it. Soon.

 

Jarod waited until he was positive Miss Parker was in the shower before attempting to explore his environment. He could see signs of the room's other occupants all over the place. Broots' ugly, green sweater was tossed over the arm of a chair in the main part of the motel room and Jarod could see several of Sydney's suites hanging in the open closet. And, of course, there was Miss Parker in the shower with absolutely nothing to  
hide anymore.

Jarod tried to repress a laugh at that thought and as he pulled the blanket back the smile melted from his lips. It seems that Miss Parker was not the only one with nothing to hide anymore. Didn't these people believe in clothing?

With the reassuring sound of water running in the background, Jarod slowly eased his way to the side of the bed and swung his legs over the edge. He took note of the unusual amount of bruises that he had acquired and was suddenly a little grateful  
for the drugs that had kept him from feeling, or at least remembering how he got most of them. He reached for a glass of water that was sitting on the nightstand and saw a bruise encircling his wrist. A check of the other wrist and both ankles confirmed he had been restrained recently and wondered if it had happened here. 

He closed his eyes and though about it, imagining how the restraints would feel and trying to get a picture in his mind. He was on the verge of a memory when he realized the water had stopped running in the bathroom. He quickly laid back on the bed and covered himself as he had been a few minutes ago. It was only a matter of seconds before the bathroom door opened and Miss Parker emerged, fortunately, fully clothed.

As she toweled her hair dry, she walked closer to the bed and stared down at Jarod. His eyes were closed, and he looked completely at rest, without much of the earlier illness marking his sleeping face.

"Did you get an eyeful Ratboy?" Miss Parker bent over and vigorously scrubbed at the back of her head. Damn cheap motel, not even a courtesy hair dryer. Miss Parker was used to the best. She stood up, panting a little from her exertion. 

"Maybe if you ask nicely, I'll give you another look." 

She shook her hair, flinging the last drops of moisture around her. Jarod felt the drops on his face. He forced himself to keep his breathing deep, slow and even, fighting the urge to breathe in the scent of her shampoo and body soap.

Jarod felt the side of the bed give way as she sat beside him. The tilt of the mattress caused his arm to drop down between his body and hers. He considered moving it, but worried independent movement might be something that attracted more of her attention.

Miss Parker ran her fingers through her damp hair and studied the man beside her.

"All these months of chasing you and all I really needed to do was wait for you to crack up then collect you from the loony-bin," she confided in him as she reached toward his face.

Jarod was trying to figure out what she meant by him 'cracking up' when he felt a light touch of her finger on his cheek. He concentrated on his breathing as the exploring digit ran down his jaw to his chin and then down his neck. 

Miss Parker was daydreaming of all the things she had wanted to teach Jarod if she ever got the chance. As her mind wandered, so did her hand as she lightly raked her nails down his chest.

Jarod was on the verge of a major melt down. When her hand first touched his chest it was all he could do not to gasp out loud. His brain was screaming at him to control himself, but it was easier said than done.

Miss Parker was running one finger back and forth along Jarod's waist where the edge of the blanket rested. She was several minutes into one of her favorite fantasies when she heard a groan.

Jarod froze. Was that him? Did she hear it? Her finger had stopped tickling its way across his belly so he was fairly certain she hadn't missed his appreciative noise. He was waiting for the screaming to begin, and about to open his eyes and face the  
music, when he received his third surprise of the day.

Miss Parker jerked her hand back when Jarod groaned and looked at him closely. He was coated in a fine sheen of sweat and had groaned so he was obviously uncomfortable. Damn. The fever must have come back. Sydney was going to blame  
her for this since Jarod was fine when he left. Something else to add to his bad mood. Well, at least she knew what to do.

Jarod almost sighed in relief when he felt her get off the bed and then listened to her cross the room. He was contemplating taking a peek to see what she was doing when she suddenly returned and set something on the night stand.

Miss Parker held the alcohol soaked cloth in her hand and appraised the situation before her. If he was determined to have a fever, she was just as determined he was going to be healthy.

Without giving herself time to change her mind she took hold of the blanket and pulled it down to the end of the bed. He was probably too warm to be under a cover.

Jarod practically jumped out of his skin when she took his blanket away. He was not modest by any means, it was impossible in the Centre, but this could raise all sorts of  
problems for him. As the bed once again sank under her weight, Jarod conjured up every horrible thought he could imagine to keep his body from betraying his secret.

Miss Parker's fantasy had fizzled out when she decided Jarod was still sick. She was on auto-pilot with her ministrations and failed to catch the slight quickening of her patients breathing. 

Jarod felt her hand drop lower and lower as she moved in even strokes across his body. He knew he was on the verge of losing control when he heard a knock on the motel room door and she jumped up.

Miss Parker looked around the room quickly and grabbed the bottle of alcohol, shoving it and the washcloth under the bed. She grabbed the blanket and covered Jarod as another impatient knock sounded on the door.

"I'm coming!" she called out, looking around the room one last time. She hurried to the door and held it open so Sydney and Broots could bring in several large boxes.

"Didn't you have your key?" she asked Sydney testily.

He glanced up, not in the mood for her usual temperament. "I didn't realize opening a door wasn't in your job description," he replied dryly, surprising both her and Broots. Maybe the little excursion didn't help his mood after all.

Miss Parker never missed a beat as she swung the door closed behind them.  
"Well it isn't and neither is babysitting. He's all yours," she gestured at Jarod. "I'm going to take a nap. Wake me for dinner."

She turned on her heel and left before Sydney could come up with a suitable response. He started to open a box with the computer equipment in and caught Broots watching him nervously. Sydney smiled indulgently at the tech.

"Would you rather I not touch the computer, Broots?"

Broots shrugged, clearly uncomfortable. "If you wouldn't mind, Sydney."

"I thought you'd never ask," Sydney replied. He had more important matters on his mind. He left Broots happily unpacking and moved across the room to check on Jarod.

Sydney stood beside the bed and placed his hand on Jarod's forehead and cheeks to check for any lingering fever. Oddly enough, the younger man felt rather cool to the touch. Sydney reached to pull the blanket up higher and smiled to himself. 

"That must be some dream you're having," he said softly to the apparently sleeping man. "You'll probably be coming around soon."

Jarod waited until he heard Sydney talking to Broots before he risked carefully rolling onto his side, facing the wall. When he was sure that movement went undetected he let his hand slip down to take care of what Sydney had called 'some dream'.

 

Miss Parker emerged from her nap three hours later and glanced around the room. Sydney was reading a book while Broots was adding a few options that didn't normally come with rented computers.

"Has anyone given thought to dinner?" she asked, sifting through the pile of take-out menus they had collected over the last week.

When she didn't get a response she grabbed the car keys off the table and headed for the door.

"There has to be something to eat in this town that doesn't come wrapped in greasy paper and I intend to find it. If there's something you really hate, speak now," she warned as she opened the door.

"Whatever you get is fine Miss Parker," Sydney announced, without looking up from his book. Broots nodded in agreement as he tried to connect to the internet. He was just happy it wasn't up to him to get dinner. He and Jarod were the only ones who had enjoyed Taco Bell for lunch.

Miss Parker left and Sydney was trying to concentrate on his book but the sound of Broots' modem dialing over and over was getting on his nerves. He laid the book in his lap and watched for a few minutes as the tech became more and more frustrated.

"Problem Broots?" Sydney asked, knowing full well the other man was ready to break something.

Broots clicked on the cancel button and closed the program he was attempting to use.

"The problem is the pre-installed software," he complained. "I'm trying to sign on to connect to the internet so I can connect to a site I set up that will get me into the Centre."

"Sounds simple," Sydney admitted, "so what's wrong with the software?"

Broots shook his head in disgust.

"This computer is set up for America Online and I can't get through." Broots stood up headed for the door. 

"I'm going to run down the street to the newsstand and pick up a magazine with one of those internet CD's in it."

Jarod had been pretending to be asleep for the last hour, wondering when, or if, he should let everyone know he was himself again. When Broots left, he decided it would be easiest to make this revelation to Sydney then let the others find out when they returned.

Sydney had gone back to his book and was enjoying the quiet when he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. He glanced up then looked back at his book before his mind registered what his eyes had seen. Jarod was sitting on the edge  
of the bed, trying to stretch some kinks out of his body. Sydney dropped the book and jumped up crossing to the bed in an instant.

"Jarod! God, it’s good to have you back! How do you feel?” Sydney tried not to let his voice tremble. He was afraid that Jarod would give him that unforgiving look. Sydney knew he deserved it, but it didn’t make it easier to bear, not from this man whom he loved as a son.

Jarod rubbed a careful hand across his face. “Have I been out long?”

Sydney smiled reassuringly. “Depends on what you consider long. I was worried, though, for a while.”

"Were you?" Jarod asked, irritated that a slightly accusing tone had slipped into the question. The last thing he wanted right now was to start an argument.

"I'm sorry," he apologized quickly. "Thank you for getting me out of there. I was surprised to see you."

Sydney looked up quickly, shocked. "You knew I was there. You were aware of what was happening?" This was not good news. Sydney had hoped Jarod would remember nothing of that experience.

Jarod shrugged his shoulders, suddenly uncomfortable with the conversation.

"I remember some," he admitted. "A lot of the time I knew people were talking to me but it was just too much of an effort to respond so I quit trying. Sometimes I got mad..." his voice trailed off as he fiddled with the edge of the blanket.

"Yes, you did," Sydney agreed but went no further with that. "Do you remember how you came to be there?"

Jarod looked up and grimaced. Yes. He definitely remembered that.

"I think I was set up," he replied. "I only want to tell it once, so let's wait for the others."

 

As if on cue, they could hear the arguing before the door even opened and Parker and Broots entered the room carrying four bags. As they settled the bags on the table, Jarod stood and quietly made his way to the bathroom unnoticed. 

"All I said was that *maybe* you didn't have to make that poor girl cry," Broots explained, closing the door behind them.

"Who cried?" Sydney asked curiously.

"Some whiny girl at the diner. Bimbo couldn't get an order right to save her life," Miss Parker explained, glaring at Broots. 

"Well, I don't think we'll ever be welcomed back there again," he assured her.

Miss Parker raised her hands in mock terror. "Oh, no. I can't go into that rat infested excuse for a diner again?"

"Rats?" Sydney asked, taking a closer look at the food.

"It was a very nice, clean place," Broots told Sydney, but looked directly at Miss Parker who chose to ignore him. She had just realized something.

"Sydney? Where's Jarod?" she asked suspiciously.

Broots looked around quickly then at Sydney who made quite a show of looking around himself.

"How did you two end up at the diner together?" Sydney asked instead of answering the question.

"Miss Parker almost ran me over crossing the street," Broots explained, giving Parker a look that let Sydney know it was probably on purpose. "I figured it was safer to get in and go with her."

"I missed you, didn't I?" she asked, leaning into the next room and looking around.

"Sydney? Where?" She snapped her fingers to show her annoyance at being ignored.

"Don't get excited Miss Parker. He's in the bathroom."

"By himself?" she demanded to know, her voice rising in disbelief.

"Believe it or not, he's been doing it by himself for many years now. He is a genius you know." 

She was grasping for an appropriate remark when bathroom door opened and Jarod emerged wearing his recently washed hospital pants and a forced smile.

"Hello Miss Parker, Broots," he greeted them. "What's new?"

He watched, somewhat amused, as Miss Parker reached for her gun and leveled it at his chest. Jarod shook his head and sat down at the table.

"You can put that away," he told her. "If I ran now I'd make it about a hundred feet before I fell asleep."

Parker watched him for a moment before concluding he was probably telling the truth for once. He still looked like he could use another week in bed. She smiled to herself, thinking of how much fun a week in bed could be.

"Now that we're all here, and awake, "she added for Jarod's benefit, "maybe you can tell us how you got yourself in this mess and what Raines has to do with it."

Sydney was watching Jarod closely and noted the surprised expression when Raines was mentioned, but Jarod said nothing. 

"Why don't we eat first and talk later," Sydney suggested, giving Parker a look that he hoped would keep her quiet for a while. The look she returned to him promised nothing.

 

Thirty minutes later Parker watched in amazement as Jarod sucked the filling out of another Twinkie then discarded the cake part. Sydney was feeling a little nauseous at the thought of all that sugar on top of two chicken sandwiches, potato salad and  
Dorito's, but conceded early on that Jarod needed the calories. When Jarod reached for his chocolate shake, even Broots, with his cast iron stomach, groaned in protest.

Jarod looked around the table as he set the drink down. "What? I was hungry," he told them, thinking it should be obvious. 

"And you will be again in about an hour after your stomach rebels and you lose it," Miss Parker predicted.

Sydney and Broots left the table to avoid the inevitable bickering.

Jarod broke off the end of another Twinkie. "You're just jealous," he baited her, trying to start an argument. She snatched the cake out of his hand and smiled. That's when  
he knew he was in trouble.

Jarod couldn't tear his eyes away as he watched her put the golden cake to her mouth and slowly, very slowly, suck the creamy filling out of it, all the while maintaining eye contact with him. He recognized the suggestive nature of the act and was surprised by it.

Jarod tried to swallow but found his throat was suddenly dry, probably because he had started breathing through his mouth when his jaw dropped. He was quite envious of the Twinkie right up until Miss Parker suddenly took a huge bite out of it. The spell was broken and Jarod jumped to his feet and went to join the others as Miss Parker's laughter followed him across the room.

"...in just another minute," Broots was saying as Jarod approached. He watched as the tech expertly hacked into the Centre’s mainframe then started searching records.

"What are you looking for?" Jarod asked, memorizing the access codes Broots was using.

Sydney looked up from his seat on the sofa and smiled. "You. Or rather, any references to you in correspondence or other files. Do you have any memories of seeing Raines at the hospital?"

"I'm not sure. I might, but it might also be part of a dream," Jarod admitted, still angry at himself for not remembering every detail.

"Bingo!"

Everyone gathered around the computer before Broots was finished yelling.

"What is it?" Parker asked, jockeying for a position to see the screen.

There was silence for a minute while everyone read the memo from Mr. Lyle to Raines dated two months earlier.

Raines,  
The year is almost up. If this Jarod experiment of yours fails I will have no choice but to recommend termination to the board. I expect to see some results soon or all deals are off.  
L.

Sydney sat back and looked at the shocked group.

"One wonders what the exact meaning of terminated is? Terminate Jarod, or Raines or his job?"

"If it's a multiple choice question I'll take 'terminate Raines'," Parker announced.

"I'm touched," Jarod muttered, still thinking about the memo.

"I suppose you would all deny knowing what experiment I am supposed to be," Jarod guessed, looking at the other three.

Actually, he was fairly certain they didn't know or they wouldn't be here.

"There's no use starting an argument until we have more information. I suggest that Broots continues the search until we gather more data."

"I'll help," Jarod offered, but Sydney was already shaking his head.

"No. I think it would be a good idea if you concentrate on remembering everything you can about what brought you to this area and what happened this last month. I think that once we put all the pieces together we will have enough to plan the next move."

Jarod detailed the newspaper article he had read on the alleged abuse of a female patient at Stanhope. The woman’s name had been Emily Russell, and Jarod had been irresistibly drawn to the case.

“So who is Emily?” Miss Parker demanded. Jarod just smiled at her, while the other two men carefully hid their reactions to the jealousy evident in her voice.

When he had arrived and looked around the hospital, he had found little more than petty theft and minor laziness by some of the staff. The hospital was efficiently run, with no major infractions. In fact, he was considering moving on when he had been attacked in the shower.

 

It was getting late by the time Broots had located six more memos between Raines and Mr. Lyle and printed them out so everyone could have their own copy. All six had references to Jarod and several mentioned specific 'stings' he had pulled off, but they were still missing that one link that would tie everything together.  
Sydney yawned and dropped the papers he was holding onto the floor. A quick look at the exhausted faces around him made him feel better. He was beginning to think he was too old to be staying up this late.

"I think it would be a good idea to pick this up in the morning," he announced, getting to his feet. Broots and Miss Parker rose stiffly from their chairs and headed to the other room where their belongings were kept. 

Sydney heard her threaten Broots if he even thought about using their bathroom first, but missed the muffled reply. He glanced down at Jarod who was sitting with his eyes closed and appeared to be sleeping, but Sydney knew better. Jarod was deep in thought, the fingers of his left hand were tapping on his thigh and every so often he would sigh in irritation as another memory escaped his grasp. Sydney left his pretender to his work and went in to take a quick shower.

 

When Sydney emerged from the bathroom, Jarod was looking through one of the boxes they had brought in earlier. Sydney opened his mouth to tell him not to dig around in there, but the warning came too late. He saw Jarod freeze for a moment then pull something from the box. He turned toward Sydney and held out his hand.

"Are these for me?" he asked, the surprise evident in his voice. 

"Jarod, let me explain," Sydney began, but was cut off as Miss Parker and Broots entered the room.

"Oh good," Miss Parker exclaimed when she caught sight of the restraints Jarod was holding. "I was a little worried you'd be able to get out of these if left unsupervised all night." She held up a pair of handcuffs, clearly enjoying herself.

Jarod looked from the cuffs to the restraints to Sydney, waiting for an explanation. Sydney stepped toward Jarod and there was a blur of movement as Jarod grabbed him in a head lock. He didn't even realize what he was doing, or how long he was standing there, until the voices finally broke through to him. 

Jarod blinked and noted the horrified expressions on the faces of Broots and Miss Parker. He was going to ask them what was wrong when he became aware of the still body in his arms. He released his hold as if he had been burned and stood there  
stunned as he watched Sydney calmly step away and raise his hand to his throat.

"Sydney I didn't--" Jarod began, then stopped, not knowing what to say. He took a step back, trying to clear his mind. What had just happened? He looked at the three people that were watching him, fascinated, then he tried again.

"I would never--" he put his hands to his face and took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry," he mumbled and sat down in a nearby chair.

Jarod was vaguely aware of a hushed argument going on between Sydney and Miss Parker. A minute later the door closed to the other room and he knew they were alone.

Jarod flinched when the hand rested on his shoulder but it didn't move and he didn't look up.

"It wasn't your fault, Jarod," came a soft voice. "It's all right."

Jarod shook his head, not wanting sympathy at the moment. "I did it before, didn't I?" he asked, still not looking up. "I hurt you in the hospital....there were other people.." he strained for the memory that had popped up when he realized he was choking Sydney.

"Two male nurses, Tyler and Willis," Sydney confirmed, wondering if the names would make an impression. "They took good care of you." He wanted to say more but Jarod didn't seem to be listening.

"I remember starting quite a few fights," he admitted, but couldn't quite recall why he started them other than he just wanted to. At least now he had an explanation for his  
multicolored selection of bruises

"So I heard," Sydney replied dryly, trying to lighten his Pretenders dark mood. It didn't work.

"Could it happen again?" Jarod asked, terrified of the answer but not knowing if he should be. His suspicions were confirmed when Sydney nodded his head.

"You become violent for no reason. It isn't even a side effect of any of the drugs that are listed in your files."

Jarod looked up, horrified, and Sydney knew what he was thinking.

"I didn't mean that I believe there really is something wrong with you," he explained quickly.

"Then what?"

"I think that whatever drug you were given will not be found on any chart, or in any hospital or in any pharmaceutical lab. I believe it was something Raines may have come up with on his own or had one of his people develop."

"I want to believe that, Sydney but--" he stopped, not sure if he was ready to admit what he was thinking, what he had been thinking about for months now. 

He was really beginning to enjoy the power he had over the people he had been going after. On more than one occasion he had found himself wanting to cause physical harm. And, worst of all, he had come very, very close to killing the detective that had left baby Michael in the dumpster. Detective Geary. Even now, just the man's name was enough to start his mind wandering through various forms of death for that bastard.

"Jarod!" Sydney called for the third time. He didn't like the sadistic smile that had slowly formed while Jarod was thinking. 

"I think it would be a good idea to give you something to help you sleep," Sydney told him gently. "What do you think about that?" He was disappointed to see Jarod was already shaking his head, no.

"I need to remember everything I can and that's not going to happen if my mind is clouded with drugs." He looked up at Sydney who was staring off into space.

"You're worried I might....crack in the night and hurt someone." It was a statement of fact and Sydney didn't bother to deny it. With everything that Jarod had been through, both recently and his life in general, he was showing remarkable control.

Jarod sat for a moment before informing Sydney of his decision then went to get ready for bed. 

 

When Jarod came out of the bathroom, the three of them were waiting. He looked at the bed that now had the restraints attached to the frame. Jarod knew this was bothering Sydney more than it was bothering him. He had no desire to injure anyone and if this was what it took, so be it.

Jarod avoided eye contact with everyone as he got into bed and quickly secured the cuffs around his own ankles and right wrist. He laid back in bed, his left arm extended toward the remaining cuff and closed his eyes. It was a matter of seconds before he  
felt the soft hands of Miss Parker secure his last avenue of escape. He realized he should have covered himself when he felt the blanket go on. Despite his determination to stay awake and perhaps try to remember more, he fell asleep almost immediately.

 

Sydney awoke abruptly, not certain what it was that had yanked him from his dream. He laid on the sofa with his eyes open, waiting, and a moment later his question was answered.

A shadowy figure was standing beside the bed where Jarod lay, sleeping uneasily. Sydney heard the noise again; a groan. The figure sat on the edge of the bed and reached for Jarod. Sydney sat up slowly, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

He watched as Miss Parker quietly lured Jarod out of his nightmare, her hand on his face, a few muttered words. As Sydney's eyes adjusted to the weak light, coming in through the slightly parted curtains, he saw Jarod's eyes open and his lips move, but couldn't hear him. Miss Parker nodded her head and to Sydney's amazement, she began releasing the restraints.

 

After he was free, Jarod lay quiet for a moment, looking into Miss Parker's shadowed face. Slowly he reached up and put a hand to her face, gentling it beneath the fall of her hair. Neither spoke.

Sydney watched as Parker started to rise and Jarod captured her hand. Suddenly he felt unclean, like a voyeur. This wasn't Jarod being sick or dangerous. This was a very private moment between two people who had more in common than they could  
admit to anyone, least of all themselves.

Syd closed his eyes, and turned on his side, facing the back of the couch. He heard the mattress shift, and one of them sighed; he couldn't tell which one. There was the rustling sound of a blanket moving, then all was still.

 

Miss Parker barely remembered Jarod's nightmare when she awoke late the next morning. She did note that, for once, she was warm. The insidious cold of the motel room air-conditioner wasn't making her exposed skin stiff with the chill. Moving  
slightly she discovered why.

 

She estimated the warmth she felt to be around 98.6 and getting warmer by the second. She moved her head, feeling the steady breath on the back of her neck, a strong arm encircling her waist. She caressed the forearm where it hugged her abdomen, feeling the muscles evident even in sleep. 

Ratboy has been working out, she observed again, then flinched mentally, her mind shying away from the derogatory term when the man was lying so warm and solid against her, molded to her body. She breathed deeply and his arm shifted slightly, his hand now lying limp against the soft inner part of the arm she lay upon. Slowly, gently, a lazy finger began to draw circles on her bare flesh.

Miss Parker swallowed and shifted her leg away from his warmth. Smoothly his leg followed hers, maintaining the contact. 

'Does he know what he's doing?' she asked herself, now quite awake, but unwilling to move totally away from him. As his fingers began to caress the soft material covering her breasts, she knew he was aware. 

Trying not to stir the outside of the blanket covering them both, she arched against him, feeling the springy hair of his chest through the material separating their skins. He cupped her breast in his hand, teasing a nipple with his forefinger.

Miss Parker licked her lips, wondering how she could ever have thought the room cold. It was hot in here, very hot. She was, in fact, burning. 

"Miss Parker?"

The wonderful touch on her breast stilled instantly, she felt Jarod hold his breath.

"Uh, Miss Parker? Are you awake?"

She opened her eyes, staring directly up at Broots. "I'm awake now, dammit. What do you want?" She sat up, brushing Jarod's arm off as if it were a bug.

Jarod kept his eyes closed and the smile from his lips. He felt sorry for Broots.

 

Broots quickly backed up as Miss Parker stood, her eyes burning into him until he couldn't think straight. He watched, stunned, as she turned and carefully pulled the blanket back up, covering Jarod. Grabbing Broots by the arm she pulled him  
across the room.

"What do you want?" she asked again, drawing out each word.

Broots pointed at the computer. "I, uh, you have mail...from your father," he managed to spit out. "I thought you'd want to see it..." she was already gone. "...and I guess you do."

As Miss Parker pounced on the computer, Broots took the opportunity to make a break for the other room. In his haste, he practically ran down Sydney as he came in.

"I wouldn't go in there," Broots warned, pointing back toward Parker.

Sydney looked at Jarod, apparently asleep, and remembered the scene that had greeted him earlier.

"I take it she was not happy with the sleeping arrangements?" Sydney asked, trying not to smile.

Broots swallowed audibly. "Actually, I think she was fine with the arrangements, just not too thrilled with her wake-up call." 

Broots laughed nervously and darted from the room, leaving Sydney to face the demon alone. He continued into the room and as he passed the bed he reached out and grabbed the blanket, taking it with him.

 

"Come on, Jarod. I know you're awake. I always know when you're faking."

Jarod's eyes snapped open, an impish grin on his face. "I don't fake, I pretend. There's a difference, so don't tell Miss Parker." His voice was teasing, friendly.

Sydney was delighted. Unsure of the change in Jarod's attitude towards him, he merely smiled.

Jarod sat up, pushing a lean, long-fingered hand through his shock of dark hair.

"Now you look like Alfalfa." Parker's voice was dry as she spoke around the wad of gum that was the surrogate for her morning cig.

Jarod looked at her quizzically, about to demand an explanation for her comment that he looked like a type of grass, when she spoke again.

"Daddy wanted to know if we'd found you." The words fell into the room like stones, cold and hard.

 

Sydney looked at her, trying to judge her feelings, but she was the ice queen again.

"If your father doesn't know where I am, I know someone who could tell him." Jarod's voice was as cool and enigmatic as hers. He stood and looked at her. 

She regretted that she was barefooted. His height gave him too much advantage. She stared into his brown eyes, gauging his strength, his will. She tried to banish the warmth of him, the teasing touch of him, that she experienced a scant few moments before. This was the reality. Jarod was her antagonist, her prey. Her mind shied away from the term 'enemy', but his probably wouldn't. The thought hurt her, and her voice was  
sharper to conceal it.

 

"If you mean Mr. Raines, Jarod, just say so." 

"I remember him being at the hospital, that first night. He was in my dream, standing over me. He was talking about me to someone." Jarod's voice was clear, calm. 

'He's running a sim on himself,' Sydney thought, amazed. 'I didn't know he could do this. That means he can analyze the DSA's ...', Sydney forced his mind back to the present, to what Jarod was saying.

"He thought I wasn't listening, that I was too drugged, but I wasn't," Jarod continued, staring at a nonexistent spot on the wall. "He said the experiment failed and his time was up, that the 'others' were not happy."

Miss Parker opened her mouth to ask who the 'others' were, but a warning look from Sydney shut her up.

"Raines said that if Sydney's White Leopard wouldn't crack on his own .......... then he needed help. He said he was here to give it."

"Oh my God," Sydney muttered in spite of himself.

"What else, Jarod?" he asked softly. He saw a look of pure hatred come over Jarod and his voice softened to a harsh whisper as he became Raines.

"Keep him here. Keep him drugged. When his keeper gives up the hunt, I'll send for him; for the poor boy that couldn't make it in the outside, just like I predicted all along. Then ...then, he'll home to me as promised and --" 

Jarod stopped suddenly. He took a deep breath and shook his head, releasing himself from being Raines.

"Why did you stop?!" Miss Parker demanded, punching him in the shoulder.

Jarod ignored her and looked at Sydney.

"Go on, Jarod," Sydney encouraged. Jarod stared at him for what seemed like an eternity before he finally turned and went into the bathroom, his only escape, slamming the door.

"Wow. Is that what pretending is like?" Broots' voice came from the doorway of the adjoining room.

Miss Parker twirled around, transfixing Broots with her stare like a bug on a pin.

"What are you supposed to be doing?"

"Nothing."

"I'll find you something to do then." The threat in her voice was evident.

Despite the harrowing sim with Jarod, Sydney had to smile. Miss Parker was not a woman to wait for her vengeance, and Broots must have disturbed her 'sleep'.

"I think I'll take a walk." Broots scurried through the door.

A few minutes later, Jarod appeared in the bathroom doorway, his face and hair wet where he'd splashed water on himself.

"Put your shirt on." Miss Parker commanded, having decided to seize the upper hand and keep it.

She looked at Sydney searching for a cutting remark to direct to him. She liked men as some people like dogs, in their place. 

Sydney deflected the attack by talking to Jarod, who was easing a T-shirt over his bruised torso.

"Do you think Raines was watching you closely, Jarod?"

"He will know I have escaped. My concern is that he has probably been watching you." Jarod directed the remark to both Sydney and Miss Parker.

"No one has been following me. I should know." Miss Parker was defensive about her abilities.

Sydney spoke slowly, "Don't be too sure, Miss Parker, I think I have seen a car. . ."

"That dark gray car, four door?" Broots spoke in a strained tone from the doorway.

The three of them turned in unison as Broots was propelled through the doorway followed immediately by Kline and Tyler, both carrying weapons. Miss Parker reached to her waistband before remembering her gun, their only weapon, was in the  
adjoining room. 

Broots moved to stand with his friends and all four reluctantly raised their hands.

Kline looked at Sydney, clearly wanting to kill him.

"You're not allowed to remove patients, doctor," Kline advised.

Sydney shrugged his shoulders, a movement Jarod found humorous.

"I took him for a walk and we got lost. I have a very poor sense of direction."

Kline was not amused. He tightened his grip on his gun and nodded his head to Tyler who looked like he'd rather remain unnoticed. 

"Rope," Kline told him and Tyler pulled a bundle of heavy cord from his pocket and tossed it to Broots.

"Tie up your friends so I don't have to shoot them," Kline ordered. He gestured toward the chairs around the table. "Have a seat."

Parker and Sydney reluctantly moved to sit down and Jarod started to follow.

"Not you," Kline yelled, pointing to his former prisoner. "You're coming with us."

"Where?" Jarod asked, wondering if his next trip was going to be to Delaware after all.

"Back to the hospital before someone finds out you're missing," Kline replied, not realizing he had just passed critical information.

He noticed the four of them exchange quick looks and his anger moved up a notch. Looking around the room he spotted the handcuffs that Miss Parker had left sitting near the computer.

"Get those," he ordered Tyler, pointing to the restraints.

Tyler grabbed the cuffs and turned toward Jarod who immediately backed up, stopping only when one of the guns turned in his direction.

 

"If you don't like those, I have another solution," Kline snarled, nodding to Tyler.

The other man pulled a syringe from his pocket, making Jarod's decision for him. There was no way he was going to be drugged again. Jarod could feel Sydney was watching him as he held out both hands and allowed himself to be cuffed.

As the metal snapped tight around his wrists he looked over at his companions. Broots had already tied Sydney to the chair with his arms behind him and was now starting on Miss Parker.

As he fastened Miss Parker's arms behind her, Broots assiduously avoided looking her in the eye. She pushed her arms up and back, and Broots firmly returned them to a more secure position. She did it again, and again Broots pushed her arms back so he could tie them tightly. When she pushed her arms outwards a third time, interfering with his tying her up, Broots felt he had to protest.

"Miss Parker, you have to let me do this. It's not my fault."

"Hey! Quit fooling around and tie her up! Now!" Kline pointed a gun at the tech. As Broots successfully tied Miss Parker's arms and hands behind her, she finally caught his eye.

"Idiot!"

"And gag her, too!" Kline added. Broots complied with alacrity, knowing that he would pay for it later, but unwilling to go through the vitriolic tongue lashing he would receive from Miss Parker if she wasn't gagged.

Sydney had watched the scene with disgust, embarrassed by his colleague's antics in the middle of a kidnapping. Sydney turned his attention to Kline rather than watch Tyler tie up Broots. He was surprised the tech wasn't offering tips on making the ropes  
tighter.

 

"What are you going to do with him?" Sydney asked, not needing to elaborate to whom he was referring.

Kline was still a little confused as to Sydney's relationship with Jarod, but at this point he didn't care. All he was interested in at the moment was getting his prisoner back before his boss found out Jarod was gone.

"You're working for Raines, aren't you?" Sydney asked when his first question went unanswered.

He saw Kline's expression go slack for a moment, clearly surprised that his captives knew his boss. That instant was enough to assure Sydney that Raines had no idea he was here.

"Hurry up with that!" Kline yelled at Tyler who was just stepping away from Broots.

"I'm done. They're not going anywhere," Tyler promised, not wanting Kline's anger directed at him.

Broots was wiggling in his chair, trying to find a more comfortable position, if there was such a thing when one was tied up. As Tyler passed by, Broots straightened his leg and  
accidentally tripped the other man.

Kline's attention was grabbed by the scene unfolding in front of him and Jarod immediately took advantage of it. Sydney had been watching Jarod closely, watching him running simulations in his mind one after another for the last several minutes. He  
was waiting for him to try and talk his way out of this situation; he was not prepared for what he saw.

As Kline absentmindedly took a step toward Tyler, who was now sprawled on the floor, Jarod threw himself at the man, knocking one of the guns free in the process. Jarod and Kline fell to the floor in a heap of twisted limbs. Jarod was struggling for possession of the weapon, his efforts hampered by the handcuffs.

Miss Parker became aware that she was trying to shout through the gag. She heaved her upper body against her bonds. If only it were handcuffs, she'd be able to get away. 

The two men grappled on the floor, both of them holding on to the same gun. As Kline slowly used his greater bulk as leverage to turn the gun toward Jarod, he felt a sharp blow to his temple, forcing his trigger finger to twitch and the gun to go off.

Both men lay still on the floor.

Tyler crawled hesitantly toward the pair. "Jarod?"

Miss Parker, who had been frozen, began to writhe frantically, the sounds coming from behind the gag high-pitched, almost hysterical.

"My God, my God," Sydney prayed.

Broots closed his eyes.

Tyler reached the two and pulled at the larger Kline who lay on top. As he rolled the big man off Jarod, it was obvious Kline was alive but unconscious. Jarod, on the other hand, was very conscious, and when freed from the bruising restraint of the  
administrator, sat up.

"I'm okay, just knocked the breath out of me," Jarod spoke to Sydney, but he looked at Miss Parker. 

She had become still and quiet, her eyes drinking in the sight of him. Her left foot was bare, where she kicked her shoe at Kline's head.

"Good shot, Miss Parker." Jarod's smile was shaky.

"Mmmmph."

"Jarod," Sydney called softly. As he caught his pretender’s attention he nodded toward Kline.

Jarod moved quickly to assess the other man's condition as he wondered how he was now going to get away from Tyler who had hastily appropriated both weapons.

A quick check showed the bullet had grazed the side of Kline's head, just above his ear. He was also sporting a nice lump from the heel of Miss Parker's shoe.

"I think the impact of the bullet knocked him out, but he'll live," Jarod announced a few minutes later. "He's hardly even bleeding."

He looked up at Tyler who was standing over him, still holding the guns.

"Do I know you?" Jarod asked, certain he had seen the man before.

Tyler nodded his head. "We used to shower together, buddy."

Jarod missed the surprised looks he got from Miss Parker and Broots.

"Buddy," Jarod repeated, still searching. Suddenly he had it. "You're the one who kept untying me at night and you sat and talked to me all the time."

Tyler nodded, embarrassed. "I knew you didn't belong there. I didn't want to go along with any of this, but Kline...he can be very.....unpleasant if he wants to be."

"We've noticed," Sydney cut in. "What are you going to do now?"

"Do?" Tyler asked, puzzled. He noticed everyone looking at the weapons in his hand; weapons he didn't realize he had picked up.

"Hey, no!" He shouted. "I'm not...I don't want to be part of this. See?" He dropped both guns onto the couch as if they had burned him.

"Mm mph!"

"I think Miss Parker speaks for all of us, Tyler." Jarod held his handcuffed wrists out.

 

"Oh, yeah, yeah." Tyler fumbled with the key and finally unlocked Jarod's cuffs.

As he untied Sydney and then Broots, the man kept talking to Jarod.

"I swear, I'm on your side!"

Jarod was removing the gag from Miss Parker, careful not to hurt her mouth any more than the gag had already done. Sydney rubbed his arms, watching Jarod slowly and gently untie her. 

 

"If you wish to help us, Tyler, I am sure that a way can be found to allow you to do just that, eh, Jarod?"

Jarod was pulling the bonds from Miss Parker's arms, caressing her taut limbs. She had turned her head to watch him, there was a hint of a smile playing about her lips. He met her eyes, and they shared the memory of another time when she had been tied; by him. He had not been so gentle then, his touch not as tender.

"Jarod?" Sydney tried to keep the amusement from his voice. The courtship these two had seemingly embarked upon was not the usual flowers and chocolates type.

"Tyler will be a big help," Jarod replied absently.

"How?" Tyler was eager to ally himself with Jarod and Sydney.

"Is Miss Parker all right?" Broots had walked quietly up to the pair, where Jarod was still standing close enough to the seated Parker that the body heat between them was its own kind of bond.

"I'm fine, you moron." The snap of her voice showed Broots that she hadn't forgotten his overly enthusiastic performance while tying her. Broots hastily retreated to the far side of the room.

 

"Well I think Broots deserves a lot of credit," Jarod announced, much to everyone's surprise. 

"I think you must have been hit on the head too," Miss Parker told him, taking the opportunity to glare at the tech again. "What did he do?"

Sydney was curious about that himself.

"He thought fast and tripped Tyler here so I could jump Kline," Jarod told them, smiling at Broots. "Isn't that right?"

Broots opened his mouth to tell them he was just trying to get comfortable, then realized Jarod knew that.

"Yeah," he agreed, coming back to the group. "I knew a distraction was needed and I acted on it."

"Oh, please," Parker muttered half-heartedly, not really wanting to start anything when Jarod had gone to the trouble to make Broots feel better.

"What about him?" Tyler asked, nudging Kline with his foot. "As soon as he wakes up, there's gonna be trouble."

"Well then I guess he'd better not wake up," Jarod answered. He reached into Tyler's shirt pocket and pulled out the syringe he had so recently been threatened with.

"Jarod, is that a good idea?" Sydney wondered, concerned about the head wound.

Jarod was already injecting the sedative into the older man, jabbing the needle a little more forcefully than was necessary. An action that did not pass unnoticed.

"In my professional opinion.....it probably won't hurt him," Jarod announced as he stood up.

"Probably?" Parker asked, surprised Jarod would take the chance at all.

"Well when someone tries to commit suicide, it's sometimes a good idea to keep them sedated for a good, long while," he replied slowly, making sure everyone got the picture.

Sydney nodded his head in agreement.

"As his attending physician, I will concur with that diagnosis. I think he should be admitted to Stanhope as soon as possible."

Miss Parker smiled, loving this turn of events. "He should probably stay there until a few friends of mine can arrange for more...secure accommodations."

"What about me?" Tyler asked. "I want to help."

"And you will," Jarod assured him, draping his arm over the other man's shoulders. "Well need someone to make sure he gets all his medication. All of it," he emphasized. "I believe there were a few times you 'forgot' to give me mine."

The others looked at Tyler in appreciation, realizing what Jarod was saying.

"Well," Tyler mumbled, looking down at Kline. "I can guarantee that won't happen in this case."

"We're all just one happy family." Parker's voice was acerbic. "But Daddy thinks I'm in Texas to get Jarod, and get him I will." 

She ignored the double entendre of her words, but could tell by the quirk in Jarod's eyebrow that they weren't unnoticed.

"You know, if we bring Jarod in now Mr. Raines will know that we are the ones that sabotaged his plans." Sydney's voice was disinterested, abstract. He gazed calmly at Miss Parker, willing her to buy into this plan. The last thing he wanted was an angry confrontation with her.

Miss Parker shot Sydney an enigmatic look and stared at Jarod, considering her options. She ran her tongue over her upper lip. Jarod's deep brown eyes looked at her without expression.

Miss Parker and Jarod seemed oblivious to the other two. As she began to tap a fingernail against her lower lip in thought, Jarod swallowed, blinked, and looked toward  
Broots.

"If we take Kline back in Syd's car, we can meet you at the airport." Broots spoke quickly. "That way you can take care of...the motel stuff."

"Mmmmm. You dragged that hardware in here, you drag it out."

"I think Broots meant paying for the rooms." 

"And we just let Ratboy here scurry away, right Syd." Her tone was honey sweet. "Then we close our eyes, count to fifty, and start the game again?"

Sydney nodded.

"Is that the way it's played, Jarod?" She smiled at him. "Is that the perfect solution?"

Jarod looked at her, not trusting her apparent mood. "Works for me."

Tyler was confused as the conversation took on undercurrents outside the situation. "Are we taking Mr. Kline to the hospital?" 

He was ignored.

"He's my ticket out of it, Syd." Miss Parker bit out suddenly. "He is MY freedom, and you think I'm just gonna toss it away?"

"Parker," Sydney said gently, "do you have a choice?"

Miss Parker turned her back to the group and closed her eyes. Damn! She was so close! She hated to admit, but Sydney was right. She might very well get away from the  
Centre if she returned with Jarod, but how long would her freedom last once Raines figured out how he was captured? She was betting it wasn't long. They still didn't know all the details of his plan. A wrong move now could cost them everything.

The men watched, knowing the internal battle she was going through and each hoping she would come to the right conclusion. Miss Parker made her decision and turned,  
grabbing her bag off the floor.

"Broots, you ride with Sydney in his car. Tyler will take Kline in his car. I'll return the other rental. We'll take separate flights out of Billings and meet tomorrow in El Paso for the trip home." She stopped halfway to the door and looked at her companions.

"Jarod will be staying here. As far as my father and Raines are concerned, we spent the last week in El Paso but never got a solid lead on him."

Sydney smiled and nodded his head. "You're doing the right thing, Parker--" he began, but she cut him off.

"Don't give me that noble good deed crap, Sydney. I'm letting him go this one time to save my butt and nobody else's. Got it?"

When there was no immediate answer she turned again toward the door, only to be stopped by Jarod calling her name.

"What?" she demanded, swinging around.

He held the handcuffs out to her. "If you plan on catching me again you might need these."

She looked at him for a moment then smiled. "Keep them. They might come in handy for something, someday."

Jarod smiled back.

Broots snorted behind her and Miss Parker turned and tossed her bag at him.

"Shut up and put this and yourself in the car."

As the tech scurried from the room Miss Parker took the cuff key from Tyler and set it on the table. She looked at Jarod for a moment and he thought she was going to say  
something. She broke the moment, turning abruptly and marching through the door, leaving it open behind her. Jarod watched her walk away silently, biting back any comment he could make.

 

Jarod heard the two vehicles start up and walked to the door, watching them pull out of the parking lot and onto the main road. Closing the door carefully, Jarod turned to look around the room.

He could feel the events of the last few days resonate within the room. Closing his eyes, he relived some of the more personal feelings, this time using his talent as a pretender to allow them to play out to a more satisfying conclusion.

This time when Miss Parker kissed him, he kissed back, using his hands to cup her beautiful face. He brushed light butterfly kisses over her eyelids, the corners of her mouth, her jaw, her neck.

Jarod swayed where he stood, coming back to the present. Realizing he was still tired from his ordeal, he walked over to the bed and lay down. 

'This is probably the safest place for me to be right now,' he thought, and closed his eyes. He tried to will himself to sleep, knowing his body still needed rest, but the simulation returned, unbidden, but not unwanted; the feel of Miss Parker's lips on  
his, the touch of her hands. Jarod groaned.

Without thinking, his hand automatically dropped lower, but then stopped. No, he didn't want to have her that way. He rolled off the bed and started stripping as he headed into the bathroom to take a shower. It would help him relax so he could sleep and then he'd leave.

 

When Jarod emerged from the shower the room was dark. Odd. He didn't remember drawing the heavy curtains over the only window. He was slowly feeling his way across to the lamp when it suddenly clicked on by itself.

Jarod squinted in the sudden brightness and froze.

"Hello, Jarod. Surprised?"  
Miss Parker sat in the chair by the bed, her gun trained on the center of Jarod's bare chest. He stared at her for another moment, certain he was dreaming.

'That's it,' he thought. 'I fell asleep and I'm dreaming.'

Miss Parker gazed at her prisoner, enjoying the stunned look on  
his face.

"Remember these?" she asked, holding up the cuffs.

Jarod's eyes snapped over to the table where he had left the cuffs and key. Both were gone. Parker tossed the cuffs to Jarod and he caught them without thinking. No, this wasn't a dream at all.

 

Jarod held the cuffs in his hands, looking at them and then at Miss Parker.

"Don't you just love spindle headboards?" she drawled jerking the gun toward the bed.

"Let's see, you're right-handed, so let's just cuff the left hand, shall we?" 

As Jarod slowly turned to obey, Miss Parker stood and ran the muzzle of the gun down his spine. "And I want to thank you for dressing appropriately, or rather undressing."

Jarod snapped the cuff to the spindle on the headboard and then to his wrist. He positioned himself in the center of the bed as Miss Parker gazed at him. Now he knew what was happening. He'd always had a rich fantasy life and now, somehow, it was really happening. 

He smiled and beckoned to her with his free hand.

"Take off your shirt."

Putting the gun down on the dresser, Miss Parker began to pull the T-shirt over her head, exposing her bare breasts, nipples erect, to him. She tried to give him her standard invitation/intimidation look, but it didn't quite come out right. Instead her smile was almost. . . shy? Not hardly, she said to herself. What is it about this man that can turn me into some hormone crazy teenager?

"And the pants." Jarod broke into her thoughts, his hand grazing his stomach as he looked at her.

She paused in the act of unbuttoning her waistband. When did he get control of the situation? She decided to assert herself.

"I think it's time you had a turn," she whispered, letting her hand linger at her waist.

Jarod looked down at himself then back at her.

"I seem to be underdressed for taking turns." He smiled at her slyly. "Besides...I thought maybe you'd like to do it."

He continued to let his fingers trail around his chest, noticing how her eyes were following his every move. Parker kept her gaze locked on Jarod's hand as she absentmindedly pushed her pants down her slim hips, letting them pool at her feet then  
stepped out of them. She noticed that Jarod's hand had stopped its roaming and she looked at his face. His eyes were wide and his jaw slack and she suddenly realized that she was standing before him naked.

"Well, looks like I won," she told him. "Now I get my prize."

Jarod grinned, and she wondered exactly what that Argentinean chick had taught him.

"Come and get it." His deep voice sounded just a little breathless. He put his hand out and Miss Parker took it, letting him pull her to him. As she moved forward, he lay back against the bed, until she was kneeling beside him, looking down at him.

Jarod released his hand and slowly, gently touched one nipple between thumb and forefinger, his eyes locked unwaveringly on her face. She moaned. He cupped her breast and sat up, putting his mouth around the hard button of flesh his fingers had  
just caressed. As his tongue teased her, Miss Parker twined her fingers in his hair, pushing his face toward her, inviting him to explore.

Jarod's free hand slipped around her waist and he pulled her closer, forcing her slightly off balance so she was now off her knees and sitting beside him on the bed. As he continued his assault on her breasts, Parker put a hand back to steady herself and her hand brushed against Jarod's bath towel. She pulled away abruptly leaving Jarod confused.

"What's wrong?" he managed to ask, concern marring his handsome features.

She smiled wickedly. "Someone is still overdressed."

She slid her hand behind his neck and pulled him to her, capturing his lips then moving on before he had a chance to react. She kissed her way down his neck, lingering at the base of his throat long enough to make him think she intended to stop there. She pushed him back against the pillows as she continued her journey down his chest, stopping again when she found his nipples. As she ran her tongue over one of them,  
Jarod gasped and pressed his head into the pillow. Parker took this as a definite sign of encouragement and continued her plundering, alternating between the two hard nubs.

Jarod put a hand in her loose hair, pulling just hard enough to bring her head up. "Miss Parker, would your father approve?" he demanded hoarsely.

"As you've told me, Daddy doesn't give me everything I need." Miss Parker was panting, her desire ignited by his own. She shook his hand free and straightened her back. "Let me show you what I need."

She guided his hand to her neck and released it. Jarod slowly traced down the curves of her body, intent on memorizing every line. Miss Parker breathed deeply, arching her body to give him better access. Taking the hint, Jarod followed the line his fingers had traced with his mouth, his tongue like a flame on her skin. 

The sound of the cuff jerking against the wood of the bedpost signaled Miss Parker to move closer, and she lay against him. Jarod brought his mouth up from kissing the underside of her breast to fasten on her mouth, his tongue twining with hers, his  
hand running down her side to her buttock, kneading it gently.

Miss Parker arched against his side, wanting to feel skin on skin all the way down her body but found herself denied the pleasure by a forgotten obstacle. She ran her free hand down Jarod's chest until she encountered the towel, wrapped around him and  
tucked in at the waist in front. Jarod sucked in his gut as her hand slipped in between the towel and skin. She found the end and pulled it free and Jarod raised his hips so she could remove it completely, tossing it over the side of the bed. Still kissing him, her hand moved back to him, landing on his leg. She lightly raked her nails up his thigh and he squirmed beside her, groaning into her mouth in anticipation. She stopped, just short of her goal and Jarod tore his mouth from hers, his left hand jerking uselessly against the cuffs.

 

"Do it," he demanded. "Touch me.....please!"

"I like it when you beg, Jarod," she breathed huskily in his mouth. 

In answer his kiss roughened, plundering hers. Her hand trailed along his hardened cock, tracing its length in agonizing slowness.

"Like that?" She suddenly grasped the shaft, firmly but not enough to hurt. "Or like that?"

Jarod groaned and clasped her waist with his right hand. Then as she stroked his engorged penis, he slipped his fingers between her legs, seeking the heat he knew was there. Feeling her gasp as he explored, he grinned. Two could play this game. In fact, Jarod had learned just this year, that two played this game much better than one.

 

As Jarod probed her with gentle insistent fingers, Miss Parker bit his shoulder, hard enough to mark him. The sound of metal rattling broke through to her and Parker broke away from Jarod eliciting a cry of protest. His eyes followed her as she reached under the pillow and pulled out the key to the cuffs and a half dozen condoms.

Jarod's eyes widened in surprise. "Uh...six? Being a little optimistic aren't you?"

Parker grinned as she ripped open one of the foil packets. "You were in the shower an awfully long time, Jarod. I was beginning to worry that you started without me. As you  
can see.....I come prepared. No pun intended."

Jarod clenched his teeth as she grasped his painfully swollen shaft and slowly, agonizingly, rolled on the condom. 

"I think you forgot something," Jarod reminded her, wiggling the arm that was still handcuffed to the headboard.

She looked at him for a moment then smiled. "I've heard that when animals are caught in traps they will sometimes gnaw off the limb to escape."

Jarod smiled back. "But I'm not hungry."

"I'm sorry to hear that," she whispered in his ear. She leaned across him and inserted the key in the lock.

The second it clicked, Jarod yanked his hand free, grabbed Parker and tossed her onto her back, pinning her to the bed with his body.

"Someone lied," she quipped.

"You don't know the half of it,” he warned her as he pushed his knee between her legs, spreading them wide. With his eyes locked on hers, he ran his right hand down her flat belly and felt her tense in anticipation as his fingers grazed over her neatly trimmed mound, then slid down further. He wasn’t surprised to find her warm and wet for him. Using his free hand to roll and tug at one of her nipples as his previously engaged fingers manipulated the tender flesh between her legs, Jarod quickly had her on the edge.

"Oh. . .god. Jarod. Jarod!" Miss Parker moaned and writhed, pushing herself against his hand. "Now, Jarod. Now!"

Happy to oblige and carefully positioning himself, he slowly pushed into her.  
"Okay?" Jarod panted, not wishing to cause Miss Parker to feel anything but pleasure.

"Bastard! Are you waiting for an engraved invitation? Get on with it!" The vixen beneath him scraped her fingernails down his back, leaving long scratches that would mark him for days.

Jarod pushed in until he felt his tightened sac against her pubic hair and then slowly pulled back and thrust again. Miss Parker moaned and sank her fingernails into his ass, pushing him deeper, harder, faster. 

Jarod felt a moment of confusion as the signals Parker was sending him differed greatly from what Nia had taught him. She had told him over and over, 'slow and easy. Take your time.' Jarod suddenly grinned, remembering what else she had said. 'Enjoy yourself.'

He decided that was the best advice to follow at the moment. Jarod pulled back, taking her with him as he rolled over ending up with her on top.

"That's more like it," she groaned, happy to be in control.

Jarod waited for her to find her angle and rhythm before he began matching her thrust for thrust. Parker felt the pleasure spiral within her. The feeling engulfed her, all the  
sweeter for the teasing and touching over the last four days.

She and Jarod were thrusting in unison, the sound of hot wet flesh meeting hot wet flesh almost drowned out their moans and cries. Parker orgasmed screaming, tightening her muscles on Jarod's cock so that he, too, came, shouting her name.

"Oh, god, Jarod," Miss Parker moaned, and he gathered her into his arms and held her, feeling a sense of loss as his flesh slipped from hers. 

He felt tears on his cheek and told himself that it was sex, not any deeper feelings on Miss Parker's part. She felt the strong arms around her and realized she was crying and didn't know why. Her first instinct was to push away and make some snide remark about his technique, but as she pulled back and opened her mouth, Jarod reached up and wiped away her tears with the back of his fingers.

She looked into his eyes and saw nothing but warmth and realized that was all she ever saw from him no matter how awful she made his life. Jarod watched as a myriad of thoughts and emotions raced across Parker's face, wondering which ones were going to win out.

"Don't you have a flight to catch?" he finally asked. "Or should I say, don't 'we' have a flight to catch?"

Parker shook her head. She was not going to cry again. "No, Jarod. I said I'd let you go...this time, and I meant it. This time," she reiterated. 

Jarod watched as she looked around the bed and gathered up the remaining five condoms. As she held them in her hand, she looked at him and smiled.

"But I never said I was going to let you go today."

The End


End file.
